Long Shadows of Sin
by darthritter86
Summary: Red X's sudden appearance in Gotham City has pushed Batman, the city's dark protector, to call on the Teen Titans for help. What's really going on in Gotham? What will the Titans do when confronted with Batman's rogues gallery? And what brought Robin's split with his former mentor in the first place? Old sins cast long shadows.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I haven't done fic in while, and this is the my first one with superheros. I'm a gigantic Batman fan and I love Teen Titans tv series, so I'm hoping I did good. R & R please

Historian's Note: Takes place after 'Trouble in Tokyo' movie

* * *

With a flick of a wrist, the tiny flame of a short stick match lite up the dark street corner as well as the thug's stoic face. With his cigarette smoldering softly, the man turned to his partner as he fiddled with the detonator and cursed the other low-life to put it down. They were both anxious from the long night of setting explosives across a number of local businesses, with the cops still swarming the area trying to find them all. City Hall received a letter as to exactly what the punks were intending with those bombs if there were not paid by midnight that night. It was hard to be honest in Gotham, especially when crime was so easy.

_But it isn't about going the easy way_, Batman silently thought as he gazed at the two thugs through this binoculars. He tracked them across the city and had disabled nearly ever bomb the crooks had laid, the police having taken care of the rest. All that was left was these two buffoons for the Dark Knight to clean off the streets. Ever since Bruce Wayne watched his parents be mercilessly slain before his eyes, by slime as pathetic as these two would-be's, he knew his path was not to be an easy one. As he mused to himself, _It isn't about the easy way...but about the __**righteous**__ one!_

Setting aside his binoculars, Batman retrieved his grapple gun from his utility belt and fired a line into the building across from him. The Dark Knight jumped from his perch and swooped down, nearly touching the asphalt by inches. His swing turned him back upwards, flinging Batman a good two stories high among the buildings. It was here he decide to let go. Dropping down with the fury of an eagle on it's prey, the Dark Knight slammed his outstretched legs into the smoking thug's face. Before his partner had time to blink at the scene, a midnight black hand grabbed the scum before the scruff of his neck and throw him against the brick wall behind them. Batman leaned in close, only a breath away from the crook's face, as he pulled the man up wall by his coat.

"You caused me a _busy_ night, worm" The Dark Knight whispered in a scruffy voice. From their closeness, though, to the punk Batman spoke like the cracking of thunder, "I'll give you one chance to tell me _where_ you got those explosives..."

"I..I..!" The low-life's word stuck in his throat as he stared into Batman's fiery eyes. He knew this close his mask, his symbol, did little to terrorize criminals, so the Dark Knight focus every bit of anger and wrath into his glare when integrating in such a proximity. A tiny shake from Batman returned the thug's voice, "I wasn' suppose' to know!"

"That isn't an answer"

"I remember...! They were talkin' in the other room..I was pretendin' to be asleep! And then...the kid just came and left them!"

"What _kid_!" Batman could see the sweat pour from the crook's face, feel his body quiver under his hands. He could have made this scum confess his deepest, darkest secrets, but he only wanted to know one thing.

"I never got 'a good look at him...! He wore 'a mask with skull...black costume...the shadows just stuck to him!"

"He never used his name?" The Dark Knight need to know if there was new player in town. All the signs pointed to one: Small-timers sending ransom demands right to City Hall, using high yield explosives like semtex. It was devoid of any unusual gimmicks that his regular rogues use, so there was someone _new was _in town.

"He said it once. It was-"

Before the thug could finish his statement, the apartment building across the way erupted in white hot flames, as a loud boom washed over the whole neighborhood. Burning debris rain all around Batman as he watched structure collapse with a horrid look. The Dark Knight released his grip on the crook, who simply stared with aw at inferno, too stunned to try for a getaway. Regaining his composure, Batman left the stupefied thug and his unconscious partner to race to the scene of the explosion. Had he missed one the bombs? He took a quick look at his watch underneath his glove and saw that it was indeed a minute pass twelve, pass the low-lifes' deadline for ransom payment.

As Batman skidded to a halt in front of what remained of the apartment building, now just a pile of burning rubble, he caught sight of a darkly dressed individual. The flames cast an orange glow over him, his black costume and cape, as well as his mask. The Dark Knight glared at the gray skull making up the stranger's false face, with a blood red **X **across the forehead. "Red X", he related to the black dressed rogue. Batman read up on so-thought super-villain from his former ward's stomping grounds in Jump City. A thief by trade, with an extremely advance Xenothium-powered suit who troubled Robin and his Teen Titans every now and then.

"You made a mistake coming to my town, punk"

"How could I pass up the chance to go up against the great Bat, himself" Red X said in a relaxed tone and smile in his voice.

This was all just fun too him. The Dark Knight would see just how much fun it was with a broken arm. Charging for the rogue, Batman thrust his palm at Red X's chest, but found it deflected. He quickly follow it up with a left hook and another right. Red X sliced his leg up at the Dark Knight in his own offensive, flipping around in round-house kick at his head. Ducking under the kick and block a punch with forearm, Batman grabbed the rogue's upper bicep with one hand and his neck with his other, then sent his knee up in a couple strike to the abdomen and groin. Pushing Red X back, the Dark Knight study the rogue for moment as his foe clenched his stomach.

"You're in over your head, kid" Batman declared in his trademark stoic posture, "If you thought you're going to make a name for yourself in Gotham, you got another thing coming to you!"

"I never did figure I could beat _the_ Batman in hand-to-hand combat..." The black dressed rogue retorted, recollecting his composure, "But I'm not going to give up because of one little fist fight."

Suddenly, Red X flung out his hand and out flew half a dozen crimson shurikans. The Dark Knight threw up his arms to defend himself from the attack, but instead of striking near any of his vital points the bombardment struck at his feet. Each shurikan burst into a red gas, engulfing the area in the smoke. Batman took hold of his cape and raised around his head, blocking some of the gas as his lungs cough out what they could. From what little the Dark Knight could see, Red X had took a moment to revel in get one over on the Bat. Soon, though, the rogue disappeared from view and Batman was alone in the street...but he knew better to think Red X had simply ran off. Searching through his belt, the Dark Knight produced a small plastic device with a number of digital displays. The sets of seemingly arbitrary numbers was perfectly understood by Batman and what they said was clear: A large source of Xenothium was to the southwest of his location...and on the move.

Meanwhile, twelve blocks away, Red X had stopped atop a rooftop to admire this night's prize. From a small bug on his belt, he pulled out a tiny jade statue in the form of man with beard. "Chin Hang's jade statue." the black dressed rogue mused aloud as he slowly turned the treasure around in fingers. It was only artifact that survived the destruction the Chinese Emperor's tomb, a part of a private collection secretly stored in the abandon apartment building Red X blow sky high. A smile twisted under his mask while musing, "I hope they had the rest insured."

"In that part of town, he wouldn't of..." A voice called out of the darkness. The rogue popped up, replacing the statue in the bag and twisted around to find where this person was. It sounded like the Bat...but he was a ways away from that geezer, "The man you stole that from was a thief himself. But that isn't going to help _you_ now!"

"There's no way you could have follow _me_!" Red X shouted into night, pulling his hands up into a defensive fighting position. Sweat started to drip down his face behind his mask as he activated his infrared scopes. Nothing. "What kind of man are you?!"

"When did I ever say I was a _man_?"

The rogue screamed at the darkness and shot a number X blasts in random directs. From the shadows of one rooftop, Batman appeared, swooping down and landing a short distance form Red X. He throw his arm up to shoot another X, but the Dark Knight outdrew him with a batarang that hit the black dressed rogue in the hand. It only stun Red X for a second, though, that was all Batman need to leap the space between them and knock the rogue down, then flip away to safety. The Dark Knight twisted around to give Red X the final blow, however, his foe still had enough fight in him to slam his boot in a upper kick into his face. The rogue was quick to take momentary advantage and shot a restraining X that wrapped tightly around Batman's torso. Losing his foot as he tried to fight the squeezing X, the Dark Knight fell on his back and the rogue was soon upon him.

"I have to give you some points in style, old man" Red X snickered as he held Batman down, "But you just can't beat me. I'm on a whole different level."

"So am I"

With that, the Dark Knight pulled a batarang from his utility belt and it unfurled to it's full length. Red X cocked a masked eyebrow at the weapon, wondering what use it was if he couldn't even throw the thing tied as he was. Suddenly, a small light the batarang began to flash, become faster and faster. With a gasp, the rogue had figured out what it meant as he grabbed the weapon, throwing it away as hard as could. Just a yard away, the batarang blow apart in a brilliant explosion, tossing Red X from his feet. The rogue rolled back in a quick recovery, taking under a second to recompose himself. However, when he look back to where Batman had been, he saw only the ripped remains of his X restraint. Twist around to find his opponent, Red X discovered the Dark Knight behind him a distance in stoic posture. On pure reflect, the rogue move to blast another X at him, but Batman beat him to the draw once again and a batarang exploded halfway between the two. Red X recoiled from the explosion, shield his eyes for a second before looking back. From the flames stretched across the rooftop, Red X saw a black figure leap out at him. His gloves still hot from jumping through the fires, Batman slammed his fist into the young rogue's cheek and knocked him off his feet.

His victory hard won, the Dark Knight gazed down at Red X as he brush off a few burn embers from his suit. "I'll give _you_ points for style, kid, but I don't lose to punks like you." Batman's words were lost on the unconscious rogue. Reaching into his belt, our Cape Crusader pulled an advance looking communicator and placed it up to his lips, "Batgirl. I've had a run in with one of Robin's regulars from Jump City."

"Did you manage it alright?" a young female's voice asked with some evident concern.

"He's been taken care of." Batman responded. Bending down, he moved his fingers over Red X's neck, "His Xenothium suit is beyond anything the police in Gotham are use to dealing with. And had he ran the second he blew the building, his teleportation technology would have left them and _me_ in the cold."

"It's an amazing piece of tech... ...I guess that's what'd expect from Robin being it's creator. He is one of the fami-...students after all."

Ignoring Batgirl's comment and satisfy with his exploration of Red X's neck, Batman changed the subject, "Robin design the suit to protect his idenity during undercover work on Slade. It can't be forcely taking off." The Dark Knight moved down to the rogue's belt, unbuckled it, and removed it before continuing, "Without his Xenothium suppy, the suit's weapons are useless. Bring the car around and we'll take X back home to remove the suit."

"Is that a good idea?"

"Do you have any better ideas...I'm listening...", the Dark Knight took his female sidkick's silence as a 'no' and picked up Red X. Hoisted the rogue over his shoulders, Batman produced his grapple gun and move to the edge of the rooftop. Plaused for moment as his mind drifted back to Batgirl's gaffe. _One of the family... ... Dick...if you were here, how would Gotham be different? How would __**I**__ be different? If Jason was still here when you came back, how could that have changed things...?_

* * *

Note: R & R


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Don't expect this 24 hour updates every time. I have work!

R & R

* * *

The water pour, washed, soaked his body as the earth beneath him turned into like a sponge... this is what he remembered the most about that day. The image og the casket's massive flower arrangements was second. The whole of Gotham had paid for them, or so said the Mayor at the viewing. And the viewing had to be the worst of it. The body perfectly presented for parade of on lookers _gawk_ at in so-call 'paying their respects' to the boy. They never knew him, not enough to pay true respect for who he really was. The sacrifices he made to protect their city, their Gotham, and there wasn't one of them who knew the real hero that this boy was... ... because a robin had died that day, and not Bruce Wayne's ward.

Dick remembered it all too well, being only a few days before his own tragedy. His parents murder at their circus had been the fuel for Robin, but Jason's death seem only a bane. He was one of the _family_, the legacy of Robin and in some ways Dick's hope for a future... ... And Batman's. In the privacy of the Wayne Manor's cemetery, the rain drench Dick watched as his mentor placed the Robin crest atop casket and pressed it into the wood. He could see it despite the rain, though, in Bruce's eyes. The light starting to extinguish and the fight leave his heart, the Dark Knight's hold onto reality. Batman would _die_ without Robin, and Bruce would kill himself be his anger if he could no longer be Batman.

The sight was to much and Dick could not bare to see this man he loves destroy himself. He closed his eyes, but the image of Bruce wouldn't fade. The cooling wet of the rain flow down his face, clearing some of the boy's sorrow and he felt as sure of himself as ever. Dick walked to casket, next Bruce, and placed his hand atop the Robin crest. "I wouldn't let it end here... ", he declared as his fingers dig into the wood.

"Dick...no..." Bruce said as he placed his hands on his old ward's shoulders, "It's my fault for dragging Jason into all of this...and _you_ as well."

"You're wrong, Bruce" Dick glance over to Barbara standing next to Alfred, the only other two in the cemetery, "We all chose this, even Jason. You showed us how to use our pain to help the world."

"But we didn't change the world..." His mentor turned away from Dick, clenching his fingers into fists behind this back as he declared, "We're just pebbles in the river, trying to change it's direction. People die ever day, Dick. They're get abused, lose everything, and they die. I was a fool to think I can change that...and I've fooled you into it, too. We can't change the world, we can't even change Gotham... ..."

"One man _can_ make the difference, like you said. And if you won't be him, _I_ will." Tugging the crest free, the boy lifted it up and turned Bruce back around to see, "I made a _promise_ on this crest to use my power to save people. I thought once Jason came, I wouldn't have to keep that promise anymore... but I was wrong."

"You don't have to do this..."

"If I don't, then Jason would have died for _nothing_."

The stoic Bruce surrendered, quietly nodding his head as he took the Robin crest and pinned it on Dick's coat. It was that moment, for better or worst, defined their lives after Jason. Now as Robin rides the rainy roads to Gotham on his R-Cycle, his thoughts keep taking him back to that _moment_. It was only a few days later when he left Gotham for Jump City, no longer able to live with what Batman had became. He realized something as he shift his weight to the side to make a rather sharp turn. Jason's death had propelled Robin to remain _Robin_, to linger under that man's shadow for fear of what he'd be without him. Perhaps, instead of everything going wrong on the anniversary of his parents death, maybe he could have know peace. Robin was who Dick was now, however, and nothing can change that now.

* * *

Trailing Robin on the back roads to Gotham, the T-Car flew along wet asphalt with grace of Cyborg's driving. Though, the twelfth pothole he hit made him question just how graceful full he was. It was good thing that he put in those extra shocks. Cy check on the back and saw Raven still meditating as Beast Boy sat slouched down, dead to the world. BB and he had been in a fierce game of 'I-spy' for the first leg of their trip, but soon all the answers became only _rain_ and _more rain_. There was no fun in it by then, not even to annoying Raven. The downpour was getting worse, prompting Cyborg to turn up the level on T-Car's whippers. He glanced over at Starfire for second who sat silently, watching out the front windshield. _Probably look at Rob_, Cyborg thought to himself. When Robin said he'd ride on his cycle alone to Gotham, he knew he need some time to himself.

"Why would Robin ride alone in such undesirably weather, Cyborg?" Star asked, surprising the cybernetic Titan by her near-physic abilities.

Shifting slightly from the uncomfortable question, Cy responded, "He just needs some time, is all."

"But could not Robin have the _some time_ here inside the T-Car, and not exposed outside in the heavy precipitation?"

"T-That's not what I meant, Star!" This girl was never going to understand Cyborg if he didn't explain it all out, "It's like this... I might not know what happened with Robin in Gotham and with the B-man, but I've been through some bad times myself...and what I can tell you is that there's some people you never want to deal with _ever_ again. Now, out of the blue, the big Caped Crusader calls like nothing happened. Even if it is Red X, Batman's asking a lot from Rob."

"But is it that has _happened_ between the two?" Starfire stared helpless into the dashboard, frustrated and sad at her uselessness to Robin. Cy didn't know what to say, until the alien girl spoke, "..And I do not anything about this _Man of Bat_ person."

"Batman. He's one of Earth's most famous heroes. Saved a lot of people, scares a _lot _of bad guys. I guess I don't know to much about him either."

"The Batman is one that fights for good, like us, but Robin describes him in horrible and unkind profanities. Words that start with _S's_, _B's_, and _F's_."

Rob probably hadn't intended to increase Starfire's English vocabulary in _that_ direction when Batman video called. It was quite the shock to have those pointy ears and black cowl pop up on the big screen of the Tower. Cyborg would have thought that shooting them a txt would have at least kept Robin from freaking out. The two had definitely a strained relationship, and from what he remembered, Rob was with him for a long time and from a young age. Cy related it to her, "The B-man's mentored Robin since he was a kid. That's what they say, at least."

"I could never imagine hating my K'Norfka like Robin scorns the Batman. Why are earthlings such a confusing people...?"

"I can't say, Star."

Just then, Cyborg saw the R-Cycle stopped in the middle of the road and their fellow teammate standing next to it. He was staring at something just a little beyond the wall of hash the rain had created. The cybernetic Titan slowed the T-Car to a halt and parked on the side of the road, a short distance from Robin's position. Starfire exited first, while Cy shook Beast Boy awake and told both Raven and him what was going on. Their green shape-shifter friend voiced his announce as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, "Dude! Are we even close to Gotham, yet?! Ahh! What's Robin thinking?"

"I don't know, but he must have stopped for some reason."

Then Raven tonelessly said, "It looks like we have company... ..."

Cyborg twisted his head back to the windshield just as a dark entity walk through the hash. The three Titans exited the T-Car, joining Star as they made their way over to Robin. The entity was veiled by the downpour, leaving little to be seen, but shadows, as it stood facing the Titans. "Robin", it spoke, stepping foreword to reveal the black cowl and pointed ears of Gotham's Knight. Cyborg blinked as he took in the older costumed hero, finding him to be a imposing figure as most people said him to be. He had expect him to be taller, though, with his reputation and all. The Dark Knight remained silent, waiting for Robin to speak, but the boy stayed as silent and stoic as Batman. He finally went on, "I didn't expect you'd bring friends along-"

Robin quickly cut him off, "Is that why you stopped us _halfway_ to Gotham? Afraid I'd let them into the Batcave before you had the chance to give them cavity search?!", Beast Boy turned Cy and quietly ask if he'd really do that. From the rumors about Batman, Cyborg thought he'd just might.

"I told you that he wouldn't like it.", called out feminine voice as another figure emerged from the wall of hash. A girl walked up to Robin, carrying an umbrella with bat symbol on it, dressed in the same bat-motif costume as the Dark Knight. Her costume had more yellows in it, though, than Batman's and her long red hair draped over her shoulders. Cyborg thought she was definitely a sight to be seen as she continued, "You would be pissed too, Boss, if they'd done the same to you."

"Batgirl... It's been a long time." Robin remarked as she smiled with her crimson lips and nodded.

Raven suddenly stepped over to the three and retorted, "I'm sure you're enjoying your little reunion, but is there a reason why we're standing in the middle of nowhere...in the _rain_."

"Sorry!" Batgirl declared and hand each of them an umbrella like her own,"I forgot to pass around these 'Um-Bat-rellas' we brought with us."

"Um-Bat-rellas...COOL!" BB related with a grin as he unfurled the item. Starfire and Raven followed suit as green-skin Titan asked, "Do they have some totally awesome super feature on them? Like a laser gun or helicopter mode or shark repellent?!"

"It's just an umbrella"

"Oh..."

Cyborg patted his green-skinned friend on the shoulder as he pouted in disappointment about his first Bat-gadget's lameness. Just then, the cybernetic Titan felt a tap on his rear-side, "Hey, wha?! What's going on back there?!" Twisting around, Cy found the young female vigilante poking her finger against his posterior, "What do you think your doing!?"

"I've never seen cybernetic prosthetic implants like these before..." Batgirl said almost in a daze, as she slide her hand up the length of Cy's back.

BB started to giggle while stating in a snicker, "I think she likes your robo-_butt_!"

"Will you stop that, already!" Yelled Cyborg as he swiped the girl's hand away. Batgirl stared back blinking, put off by the display, "I'm not the latest Smart Phone that you can poke and prod at...I'm living, breathing _person_!"

"I-I didn't mean-"

"That's enough, Batgirl" The Dark Knight called over as turned back the way his sidekick and he came, "We can leave now. I just wanted to make sure they didn't bring anyone unexpected..."

"..._unexpected_?" Robin asked with fiery tone, "What do you mean by that?!"

"You've had enemies infiltrate your ranks before"

"You're talking about _Terra_!" The former Boy Wonder took a step towards Batman, hands balled into fists. Cyborg was sure he was going to take a swing at the guy, "She was our friend and Slade twisted her mind and use her against us! How dare you even _talk_ about her like that!"

"You made the mistake of let your little _friendship_ cloud your reason!" Batman bellowed back between gritting teeth. His sudden break in demeanor causing everyone to jump, even Robin, "Slade could have killed you and all your team because you let _feelings_ get the better of your judgement!"

Robin stood in silence for few moments, before climbing onto his R-Cycle and turning on it's engine. "We're leaving." He commanded to the Titans, but his friends hesitated, "I said we're _leaving_."

The Dark Knight's female counterpart, however, rush over to the boy before anyone could do anything, "Please don't! We can't remove Red X's suit without your help, Robin. You built it, you know it's secrets." The former Boy Wonder studied Batgirl for a moment before she added quietly, "Please, for _me_..."

"Alright"

She gave Robin a reassure smile and handed him a bat shaped mini-tablet, "We're keeping Red X in one of our secondary locations. The map on there will show you the way." Batgirl then waved goodbye to the Titan and dashed after the Dark Knight, already halfway through the rain's hash. As Cyborg walked over to the R-Cyle, he heard the loud buzz of jet engines and caught the sight of giant bat-like aircraft zoom away.

"Robin...you don't have to do this..." Cy whispered to his friend.

The boy remain quiet for a moment, examining the map on the tablet, "...No, Cyborg... I made I _promise_...and I intend to keep it."

* * *

Note: I'm looking to write a little longer chapter next time, so be patient. Read & Review, please!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Another post, another chapter. I hope you kids are enjoy this R & R

* * *

"There it is... Gotham City..."

Starfire watched as the distant spires slid into view, rising from the harbor around them like water spouts. As many of the cities the alien girl encountered on Earth, Gotham focused on rectangular-shape buildings reaching to the sky and a complex network of roads and bridges running around them. However, the dark-deco metropolis held a grittier look than Jump City. There was a certain tint to the brick and mortar that reminded her of grey smoke, or perhaps decay. As the T-Car crossed one of Gotham's main bridges to enter the downtown area, Starfire could sense an air of danger looming over the city. She would had only imagine feeling such a the darkness in the deepest reaches of Sector 666, but here it was, on _Earth_. Star would never have thought that Earth -the home of cotton formed candy and all things _nice_- could have such a place. Driving along the streets, the very underbelly of Gotham was naked for the Titans and her to see as a GCPD van was being packed with low-lifes. The young alien girl then heard Cyborg click the locks the doors on the car.

"This is where Robin was raised in his youth?" Starfire inquired aloud, rubbing her hands up her arms. She felt colder here than in the dead of space.

Gazing at Gotham with same unease as the rest of the Titans, BB retorted, "No wonder the guy moved out west!"

"My mother warned me about Gotham..." Raven related in her hushed voice. The others perked up to listen, as the moody Titan usually had little say, "...She said that the crime-rate's always high and the I.Q. level's always low..."

"That's a recipe for troubles of any kind." Cy said, quickly catching on to Raven's mother cryptic advice.

The T-Car finally pulled to a stop across from a particular tall building with an aged facade. Looking up to the height, Starfire could see the face and hands of clock built near to the top of the tower. The alien girl then caught sight of her boyfriend standing cross-armed at the entrance of the building and jumped out of the T-Car. "Robin!" She called with a giggle as she flew -quite literally- to the boy. A few pedestrians gawked in amazement as watch her float across the street like unhitched balloon and land beside Robin. Hugging him and small kiss on his lips, Starfire found him only reluctantly accept her affections and asked, "What is that is wrong, love Robin?"

"It's nothing..."

As the rest of the Titans reached the two, Beast Boy posed, "So, where's the Bat-Dude and Girl?"

"Probably inside, at the top.." Robin answered as he pointed a finger up, "...in Gotham Clock Tower. Batman and I discovered the Clock King inside there once, using the place as hideout."

"So, Batman turned it into a hideout of his _own_... ..." Asserted Raven as she surveyed the reaches of the Tower.

Entering the building, the Titans head right to the elevators and pressed the Up button. The doors pulled apart and they filed in, unintentionally spooking a couple of riders to one of the other lifts. As Starfire looked for the button marked 'Clock', her boyfriend said to simply hit the highest number there, instead. As elevator slowly climbed the height of the clock tower, moving from the 34th floor to the 35th floor and from the 35th floor to the 36th floor, a few of the Titans wondered why they hadn't just flew up themselves. It would have been _much_ faster. Reaching the 109th floor, the Titans exited the lift and into a large room with tables, chairs, sit-down booths. A number of tables had white cloths over them and a few potted flowers with dried-out, brown leafs. Starfire and her friends move explored the room, but found nothing to suggest that Batman had set up shop here.

"Dude! I don't get it?" BB exclaimed, lifting up a tablecloth to see what secret laid underneath, "This is just a crummy, old restaurant. Where's the killer crime-fighting gear and detective junk? Where's the Batmobile?!"

"Why would the Batmobile be on the top floor of a building?" Cyborg retorted, "He could never use it all the way up here!"

"Dude...It has a _jet_ engine."

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT CAN FLY!"

"PUT WINGS ON IT, IT COULD!"

As the two continued to argue, Robin went up to his girlfriend and stated, "Clock King's old hideout was in the clock, itself. There should be a way to get up in there..."

"But the building's courier contraption had not a button that would take us to the tower's clock."

Suddenly, the sound of a person clearing their throat rang across the room as though in a effort to grab the Titans attention. It had done so, though, and the five young souls twisted around to find a man exiting what seemed to be the restaurant's kitchen. "So it was you youngsters causing all the reckus down here." He related with a smile. Starfire studied the stranger, his dark skin and white hair, quaint brown suit and bow tie, she concluded that he wasn't a threat. He wasn't even that remarkable look, just a regular-Joe, with warm smile that welcomed her friends and her. He looked to Robin, saying, "Well, young man...it's been quite a time since I last saw you."

"Lucius Fox!" Robin walked right over to the man and happily shook his hand, "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Red X was giving Batman and Batgirl some unforeseen problems, so they asked me in to assist. I'm always happy to help Gotham's Knight and his friends."

"So you're Lucius Fox, CEO of Wayne Enterprises, right?" Cy asked as he too greeted Fox with hand-shake, "Why'd Batman call you in?"

"Mr. Wayne has had a long _interest_ in the Batman" Fox glance to Robin and Starfire thought she saw her boyfriend smirk for a moment, "So, he's been greatly involved in funding the Dark Knight and alleging resources to him. It seems _I_ was apart of the alleging, this time."

"So, Batman's using the Clock King's old hideout?" The former Boy Wonder inquired his old friend.

"Yes. Another one of Bruce Wayne _allegings_. He bought the clock tower and restaurant underneath after a fire destroyed the kitchen..." Fox pointed to doors he had just came from. The wallpaper above the doorway had been turned black by the flames trying to escape, "Mr. Wayne's kept the restaurant abandoned and Batman's turned the clock tower into a second base, outside of the Batcave. But now, why don't we go upstairs and get to business, huh?"

As Lucius Fox lead the Titans to second, secret elevator in the ruins of the kitchen, the alien girl wondered about the task set before them. Not only that of removing Red X's suit, but also Robin and the Batman working side by side one another. Their first meet had been so heated and tense, there was no telling where they could have gotten if Batgirl hadn't beseech Robin to come. _She had said to Robin '__**For me?**__'_ Star pondered to herself, _As in, a favor to herself that love Robin would feel inclined to except..because __**she**__ had asked Robin too?_ As thought raced through her mind, Starfire clutching onto her boyfriend's hand and entered the lift. Robin gave her a reassuring smile, however, the alien girl never saw it as she glared at the figment of Batgirl that her mind had created. The real task, Starfire realized, will be when Robin and Batgirl are working _side by side_ one another... ...

* * *

Sionis looked down at his watch: 4:50 pm.

At five o'clock, the time-lock on Farmers National's vault could be opened by the Bank Manager combination. Sionis and his masked crew had been preparing for today for about a week now...and today was _payday_. The eight men loaded their reproduction Thompson sub-machine guns with hundred round drum magazines, chambering a round in each weapon. These yesteryear killers were Sionis' little touch of class to Gotham's style-less criminal underworld. Of course, the charred wooden face over Sionis' head was better clue as to who his crew and he were. Everybody in Gotham knew the sight of _Black Mask_.

"You know the drill, boys" Black Mask related to his men, "Get the tellers away from their desk and put everybody in the center of the room. _Smoke _whoever doesn't listen! Then empty the drawers and I'll get the Bank Manager."

The crew each made their sign of acknowledgement, shaking their heads or saying 'Yeah, Boss!' This wasn't Black Mask's first bank heist and nor would it be his last, however, the crimelord still felt some hesitation in his stomach. A unexpected GCPD patrol might roll by, or one of the security guards might try and play a hero. Either of those problems could be dealt with, given the time. However, Black Mask didn't want to stay a second longer than he had to. After they burst in, the police would be alerted and he'll have a dozen cop cars around the building in a short while. Then the _Bat_ would follow. Black Mask had enough heists busted by the Bat to keep him on of the crimelord's minds, especially before a bank job. Of course, if the costume freak wants to come to their little party, then he'd have a .45 bullet just with the Batman's name on it... ...

* * *

As Fox and the Titans filed out of the secret elevator, Robin found that he and friends had entered behind Gotham Clock Tower's glass face. The large gears that ran the giant timepiece spun in a dazzling dance of mechanical magic. However, he and the others were more surprised to discover dozens of wood plank boxes filled the space between the clock gears and elevator. They created a maze of big and small rectangles for his team to traverse slowly through. The former Boy Wonder noticed as he went that most of the boxes were emptied of their contains, with only the packing materials left in them. The Wayne Enterprises' logo read across their planks, so Robin deduced that whatever was in them must have being brought in by Bruce. Half way through the maze, the Titans found an array of electronic equipment scattered along a large clearing in the boxes. Cyborg bent down to investigate them, but the Robin already knew it was all brand new and the latest model of WayneTech merchandise. It must of cost a small fortune to buying the equipment and then pay-off anyone who started asking questions about it. For ex-Boy Wonder, it only reaffirmed Bruce's lack of trust of his friends and him.

"Hey" Barbara said as she appeared from behind one of the boxes. Still deck out in her Batgirl costume, the sidekick hefted a heavy server over with the other equipment.

Cyborg surveyed the panorama of tech and asked aloud, "Are we really going to need all _this _to get that suit off of Red X? Don't get me wrong, I love the idea packing in all this high-price sweetness on somebody else's credit account...but it is a little much."

"Actually, this is all for permanent use in the clock tower." Repelled Batgirl as she place the server down and began hooking in wires to it. "We've been ignoring this place for too long, and I guess this gives me the excuse of little spiffing up."

The green-skin Titan picked up one of the electronics, totally oblivious of it's purpose, exclaiming, "A _little _spiffing! There's more techie stuff here than Cyborg has in the entire _Titans Tower_! It's almost embarrassing-OW!" The cybernetic Titan had quickly bashed on Beast Boy's head and gave his friend a look that spoke worlds of what he'd do to BB if he continued with his line of speech. Their shape-shifting friend paused for a moment, then went on, "..What I mean to say...It's, ah, pretty cool...I guess...?"

As Beast Boy continued to fumble over his words, Fox quietly tap the former Boy Wonder and directed him to a conjoining room. Leaving his friends behind, Robin was lead into a dimly lit area with a single, bright spotlight shining a circular pool of white light onto the floor. And there, at the center of the circle, laid the boy's foe...Red X. Restrained to a steel table, the rogue appeared unconscious as a device beamed a blue light onto his forehead. Beside the table sat Robin's ex-mentor, typing away on a computer console and reading from a pile of printed out papers. The boy remembered that Batman was an master of multitasking, even juggling two _lives _for years without anyone becoming the wiser. Robin stepped closer to the table, but the Dark Knight didn't turn, but continued his furiously working. As the boy moved his hand to touch the strange device beaming over Red X's head, Batman's sudden said. "It's a sonic-electron disruptor...used to upset the follow of neurons in the brain's synapses. It will keep him unconscious for as long as it on."

Fox walked over to the table and joined in, "We've tried keeping him under with basic anesthesia, but we couldn't get a needle into a vein. In fact, we can't penetrate the suit at all! Titanium tools brake, lasers burnout before getting close...Batman even tried using a diamond bladed saw, while I wasn't looking... ..."

Robin shot a glare at his former mentor, enraged by his reckless actions, but the Dark Knight merely turned slowly to the boy and retorted, "I _knew_ what I was doing... I wouldn't have even cut through the Epidermis layer of his skin."

"But you obviously _didn't_ know...or you'd would have gotten the suit off and _I _wouldn't be here."

Batman's expression told his old ward to watch his attitude, but Robin continued his glare. It was dangerous game to play with the Dark Knight -one which many had lost badly to him- but the former Boy Wonder was either brave enough or stupid enough to try. The two finally broke away when Cyborg called over to them, "You guys aren't going to find a way to get that suit off by having staring contests!" The ex-Dynamic Duo turned away from each other with a simultaneous grunt. The Titans and allies gathered around the metal table, then took a second to just gaze at the unconscious Red X. "It's strange to see him like _this_."

Barbara nodded in agreement, adding, "It's almost like a waste of effort doing all this."

"Red X is nothing more than a simple thief..." Raven stated evenly, but with hit of empathy in her tone, "He was annoying, but never hurt a single person... ..."

"He blow up an entire apartment building." Retorted the Dark Knight, "And tried to cover his tracks by placing _dozens_ of bombs across Gotham."

"But that's nothing like he's regular M.O..." The former Boy Wonder had reviewed Batman's detailed report on his capture of Red X. It was one of a few other things on the mini-tablet Batgirl had gave him, and Robin had skimmed over the report a couple times while on the finally leg to Gotham. "Red X lives for the _grab _and _chase_. First braking into impregnable locations, then runs from highly skilled pursuers."

"But he _did_ wait for Batman to caught up and fought it out with him." Barbara said, challenging Robin's reason.

"But he didn't make Batman chase him." The boy looked to his former mentor, crossing his arms as he asked, "How was he when you caught up with him?"

The Dark Knight complied with question, not one to let pride totally rule him, stating, "He was relaxed. Not expecting to encounter trouble, it seemed."

"Maybe someone else is in the suit?" BB posed, "Like, stole it from the original dude and started calling himself Red X."

Fox shook his head and retorted, "With all the strife we're having! How could it be anyone else get the suit from him."

"We're dealing with the real Red X, whoever he is..." The moody Titan declared.

Tapping his chin, Robin was struck with an idea, "Maybe we can finally find out..._without _remove the suit first!" Reaching down to Red X's side, the ex-Boy Wander lift up a tiny flap that revealed a USB port.

"Well, look at that." Fox related with grin.

"I built it in to download the video from the suits visor. It isn't made like the rest of the suit, so you might be able to break through it to take a simple to test."

Barbara moved next to Robin and examined the port. Use to her closeness, Batgirl and him squeezed together and studied the USB when she said, "Yep, we can break through the port's siding and draw some blood. Not a problem!" The Dark Knight promptly got up as the two moved away from Red X, then he grab a tool from his belt and use it's scissor-like head to slice into the USB port. Taking a syringe, he gathered some blood into it and gave it to Barbara. "I'll get this over to the Batcave, pronto, Boss."

"Didn't I see a DNA analyzer in the other room?" the cybernetic Titan posed, point his thumb towards the other room.

"Yeah, but it's not finished yet. I still need the tools to assemble the focusing array and-"

Batgirl was cut off by the buzzes and clanks from Cyborgs hands as they transformed into complex apparatuses, "Just call me, Mr. _Hand_-y!" Barbara smiled.

Stating that their work would only take half an hour, Barbara and Cy returned to larger room to finish the analyzer as Batman went back to working on how to remove Red X's suit. The former Boy Wonder walked off to explore the rest of the clock tower, knowing he couldn't help with Cyborg and Batgirl's assembly and having no interest in Batman. Finding a set of stairs, Robin ascended it to a terrace that wrapped around the top of the main room. He could survey the whole maze of boxes from up there, as well as friends, both _old _and _new_. Fox's white head loomed over Cy and Barbara's work, ready to help where he could. Lucius Fox, Wayne Enterprise's CEO, was who first supplied Bruce with the technology to become Batman. He was simply the head of R and D then, but put his neck out without asking any questions. The boy wasn't sure if Bruce had ever stated plainly to Lucius that he was _Batman_. Robin had developed a close relationship with Fox while working under the Dark Knight...though, not as close as with Barbara.

"Love Robin?" The boy twisted around to find Starfire, his girlfriend, stand there with an apprehensive expression.

"What is it, Star."

She opened her mouth to speak, but remained silent for a moment to collect her thoughts, "...Robin...You had worked with this Batgirl before?"

"Yes. She and I were both Batman's sidekicks for a number of years."

"And she and you...There is an affiliation between you two...a _bond_?"

"It's, ah...Starfire..." Robin was at lost of words. He swallowed and tried to his best to explain, "There _was_ something between us. It was while ago... but I ended it. When Batman suggested that Batgirl and I were becoming sloppy, I gave it some thought and decided it wouldn't work out. But I should of know then that it was just the old man try to shape us into something we're _not_!... She said she understood my decision... ..."

"So, you and her would still be in this relationship...if it was not for your former mentor?"

"I-I don't know, Star!" Robin leaned on the terrace's railing, rubbing his neck as the sweat rolled down his face. "I thought I loved her...but I couldn't say with all that's happened between then. Not after... someone's death in our family... ..."

"Is there a reason you never told me?" The alien girl asked in struggled voice as the tears welled up in her eyes. A look of hurt shone across Starfire's face as she sniffled her nose.

The boy jumped over to her and gently held Star's cheeks in his hands. "I love you, Starfire. Batgirl was someone in the past...a friend now, but _nothing _more."

"But...I saw how closely she and you were standing before... I had thought-"

"It was nothing, Star. _Nothing_."

"You never mention a thing about Batgirl before!"

"I... didn't think..."

"What? Did not think _what_?!" Robin was back to corner by girlfriend, but he wasn't sure what to say to the alien girl that would make her understand. Starfire knocked his hands away from her and as the tears poured down her face, she related, "You always wish to treat me as a child! As though I require you to explain every little thing!" Dashing over railing, Star flew over to the glass clock face and pushed open one of it's overhead section, then called over to the boy, "I do not want to see you for a while..." She revealed her T-Communicator and threw it to Robin, "...nor speak with you. Please respect my wishes..."

"Star, _wait_!" he called. However, she was gone.

Robin clenched his fingers around girlfriend's com, staring down at it as he cursed under his breathe. He was an idiot, he knew, and now he's driven Starfire away. As the boy leaned against railing, he noticed Beast Boy stand a few feet away, "Not now...please..."

"Robin...there's _trouble_!"

* * *

Note: ('o')  
Read & Review


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Here it is, y'all! R & R

* * *

Five o'clock, on the dot, Black Mask's watch read as the crimelord chambered his Tommy Gun. The hot summer sun shone down on his crew and he as the dashed across the street and through the bank's glass doors. Inside the Farmers National, the robbers found twelve to thirteen customers and associates going about their daily routine of deposits and withdraws, as well as some idol chit-chat, totally devoid of the eight men's entrance. With a short burst from his machine gun, Black Mask sent the room a roar with screams. The couple security guards patrolling at that time snapped around to the robbers and were promptly gunned down in a barrage of .45 bullets. Black Mask's crew wasted no time in yelling at the bank tellers to step away from their drawers, grabbing the pulling them and the few customers into the open center of the bank lobby. The crimelord rush over to one the separate desk where a loan officer and a hopeful married couple had duck down behind. "With the rest! NOW!" He bellowed kicking the desk. The three hurried over to the group as one of the robbers yelled and pushed at them. With the lobby secured and their horrified hostages sitting in the middle of it, Black Mask addressed the crowd, "Ladies and gents... You are now a party to our heist of Farmers National. I'll be playing the role of _lead robber_..." He paused to caste off the fedora from his head, revealing to all his charred features. A few of the frighten flocks gasped as others related '_Black Mask_' in horrid disbelieve. Smiling under his burnt face, the crimelord declared, "Seeing that you all know who I am, you should also know what I _hated_! I hate _funny business_!" Quickly stepping over to one of the dead guards, Black Mask yanked the corpse up and dragged it to where the hostages could see. "This guy wanted funny business! See where it got him!"

"Boss, we got the cash from the drawers!" Yelled one his crew as he and the rest of them hauled the brown money sags over to the front entrance.

Snickering, Black Mask pulled out a track phone and tossed it to the robber, "Call, Tony. Tell him to get that damn truck here, now! I'm going after the manager." But, soon as the crimelord turned away, he heard heavy metallic clanks from the entrance. Twisting around, Black Mask gasped as a thick steel wall fell and covered the glass doors, cutting them off from the street. Cursing, he was surprise to hear the metallic clanks again, this time from behind. Then from the right side, and then the left. Spinning around in a dizzy display, the eight robbers found ever exit and window barred by dark tinted steel. "Who's doing this?!"

"I have you bottom scum-eaters now... ..." A man's voice called to them from above. Even and methodical, the stranger addressed the eight, "One, two, three... yes, eight big fat rats in my cage! Including one ugly, _black_ headed one!"

Black Mask looked up to the terrace that ran across the back wall of Farmers National, then saw him, "_Lock-Up_!" The large, muscular villain stared down at them with smile, standing proudly in his blue body-armor and iron chains. The crimelord knew of the brute well from his time in Arkham. Then he was still the Head of Security, grossly mistreating of the inmates electrified doors and chains on the wall. One of the many that the blackguard's abused, Black Mask grinned and related, "It's _good_ to see you again, Bolton!" Then, he leveled his Tommy Gun at at Lock-Up and fired a burst of .45 straight at his chest.

The bullets struck, the big villain staggered black a step...then laughed, "HA HAH HA!Did you think worms like you could harm, _me_?!" The blackguard hefted up a long, rectangular rifle-like object in his arms and pointed it at the robbers _and _the hostages, indiscriminately. "One big mistakes... You brought pop guns to a energy weapons fight!" They all jumped away, the eight men and the innocent bystanders, as a beam of light shot through the air and exploded on the floor. Lock-Up cackled as he fired again, striking one of the robbers and setting his clothes aflame as he was burned alive. The hostages coward in middle of the lobby, frozen with fear, as Black Mask and his crew dashed for the cover of the teller desks.

"I'm going to make you eat that laser gun, Lock-Up!" The crimelord bellowed over the desks. However, he knew there was little chance of coming out of this fight _alive_!

* * *

Grabbing Robin's shoulder with his cybernetic hand and twisting him around, Cyborg demanded to know, "And you just let her leave?!"

"Starfire said she wanted to be alone... ..."

"But, you didn't say a _thing_ to stop her?!"

The boy grunted and turned away from Cy, walking away quickly before he could grab Robin again. With a deep frown, the cybernetic Titan followed the former Boy Wonder into the conjoining room. There, the rest of the Titans and their allies stood by as Batman punched in some numbers on a wall panel. The Dark Knight stepped away as the bookcase next to him slid across the wall to reveal the _Armory_. Batarangs and smoke bombs, explosive gel and flash-bang grenades, darts and handcuffs, even a portable saw. Batgirl moved over to a gun shape device and handed it to the Titan's leader, "Check this out, Robin. Our new grapple system."

The boy took the gadget and flipped it around in his hands. Finally holding it even, Robin stated, "It's not much heavier than the old ones."

Batman, immediately, snatched the grapple gun from his ex-partner and claimed related, "It uses a retracting motor to pull the line back in, so the grapple can use it again. We'll no longer need to carry multiple grapple units." He twisted the gun around pulled off a magazine from under a barrel of sorts, "You can supplement new line here."

The Dark Knight placed the grapple gun into rear of utility belt, then turned to the wall of gadgets for more equipment as Batgirl offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry, the Boss isn't use to sharing the bat gear. We do have plenty, so don't hold back."

"Sweet!" Beast Boy exclaimed, swiping one of the grapple guns and taking aim, "DDuudde! This is _so_ much cooler than a Um-Bat-rella!" Suddenly, the grapple inexplicably fire and send a line up to the tall ceiling of clock tower. Before BB managed to utter a word, he flew up along the path of the line to the ceiling. "Hhhhheeeeyyy!" He screamed as his body dangled by grapple gun among the ceiling rafters.

Raven watch her shape-shifting teammate dance his legs in the air and said calmly, "I think I'll pass on the gadgets."

Nodding in agreeance, Cyborg walked under BB and caught the green-skin Titan as he fell. "Better leave the toys with Bat family. Yeah, Buddy?" Beast Boy only responded with a garbled, _sure_.

Looking back, the cybernetic Titan noticed that Robin had already taken another grapple gun for himself and was fitting it into this utility belt with Batgirl's help. She laughed as they both fumbled with fixing it, then the boy said something quietly to her and she giggled again. _Man...there's no wonder why Star stormed out._ Cyborg thought to himself, _Even I'm getting little sick from looking at the two! You'd think Robin would have some sense about acting like that in front of the girl._ He was knocked back to reality as Batman slipped pass his view and into the main room. Cy followed, placing the somewhat wobbly Beast Boy on his feet as they entered. Lucius Fox was already in there, working on a computer terminal in between the maze of wooden boxes, gathering the details on silent-bank-alarm alert they had detected.

"What do you have?" Inquired the Dark Knight as he bent down beside the CEO.

"Well, the police have a positive reported a silent-alarm from Farmers National bank. There's also a number of Nine-One-One calls about trouble at Farmers National as well...and an employee in the office section of Farmers National has called in reporting that there was robbery happening in the lobby of the bank."

Recovering from his daze, BB related, "Okay...trouble at Farmers National. Let's GO!"

"But..." Batman posed, ignoring Beast Boy.

Fox nodded and went on, "But...it's _three_ different Farmers National banks. One is on Market Street, another on corner of Apple and Beaver, and the third is along Noir Boulevard."

"Dude..."

"We'll split into two teams..." The Dark Knight declared as he pulled out a mini-tablet and began tapping through it, "They'll both taking one bank and converging on the last. Batgirl, you take Cyborg and Robin-"

"Why only the two teams?" The former Boy Wonder asked, challenging his ex-mentor, "We still have enough for three teams of two."

"... You Titans aren't familiar with Gotham as Batgirl and me. You'll need one of us to guide each team through the city streets."

"I've spent a good portion of my life on Gotham's streets, too." Retorted Robin in an irritated tone, "I think I know my way around, Batman. Or don't you trust me without Batgirl watching over my shoulder?!"

Cyborg and others blinked as the leader Titan glared at the Dark Knight, who gave his former partner the cold shoulder. Glancing to Batgirl, Cy noticed that she look even more unease from Batman and Robin's friction than Fox and the Titans. It was enough to push him over the edge and bellow at the ex Dynamic Duo, "Will you jerks stop your stupid b_ickering_! There's _three_ banks being robbed right now and all we're doing is arguing over bull!"

"Cyborg's right." Raven joined in, "We need to let go of our emotions for now and focus on the problem."

Robin took a quick breath and sighed, "Alright. Beast Boy, you can come with me to the bank on Market Street. Batgirl and Cyborg, you go to one on Apple and Beaver."

The moody Titan then related, "I guess that just leaves the bank on Noir for Batman and me... ..." She and the Dark Knight glanced to one another and shared some nodded in acknowledgement.

"Ok! Let's go kick some Gotham bad-guy butt!" BB exclaimed as Robin and he dashed off to the elevator, Batman and Raven close behind.

"You ready for fun evening out?" Cy posed to Batgirl.

"Skip the dinner and movie, and go straight to thug-bashing...sounds like a fun time to me!"

* * *

Screaming through Gotham's streets, the R-Cycle bobbed and weaved around traffic as Beast Boy hang on tight in the form of spider monkey. The custom bike was never perfect for two and the way Robin drove it left gripping on for dear life all the green-skin Titan could do. His eyes watering, BB changed back to human form to sarcastically retort to the ex-Boy Wonder, "Could you going any faster?! We're not going to do much good a spot on the road!"

"Cyborg was right back at the clock tower. I wasted all that time arguing and letting my frustrations get the better of me."

Shifting uncomfortably, BB asked, "Robin...about Starfire...did you-"

"_No_."

"Right...gotcha."

Arriving at the Farmers National bank on Market Street, the two Titans found a fleet of GCPD cars and trucks around the entrance, with an army of police and SWAT to match. The R-Cyle rolled to halt at the police barricade, where an officer greeted them, "We had a tip that two Capes where coming to assist."

"Who's in the bank?" The boy inquired, "A Mafia gang?"

"I _wish_! It's-" The officer's words were interrupted as large wooden desk shot through a window and smacked in the glass windshield of nearby cop car. Beast Boy gasped as the GCPD officer continued, "It's _Blockbuster_!"

"That might be a problem... "

BB apprehensively asked his friend, "So..._Blockbuster_...means he's a geeky guy into rental movies, right?!" A second desk, this time knocking through one of the banks walls, was sent flying and landed a short ways behind the two.

"The _other_ kind of blockbusting."

"I'm sorry I asked..."

Transforming into Pterosaur, Beast Boy grabbed the leader Titan with his talons and sailed over the GCPD vehicles to the bank entrance. Taking places on either side of the doorways, Robin signaled the green-skin Titan to go low while he went high, then prepared a Birdarang. Counting off with three fingers, he went to two, then one, and finally the two rush in. BB had shifted into a timber wolf, ready to pounce at the enemy...but there was no one. The lobby of the bank was a twisted mess of mortar and wood, with cracks all along the walls and floor. Beast Boy returned to human and gazed at the ruined lobby, wondering just how big the villain was. Glancing to Robin, he saw the leader Titan still poised and ready for the fight. A strange silence washed over the lobby that left hot chills running up the shape-shifter's back.

"Dude...where-" Beast Boy was suddenly interrupted as one of the walls blow apart and a _behemoth_ of man emerged. A wild mess of hair on his head, the man arms were tree trunks and his chest was a muscular cliff, wrapped in a tattered yellow shirt. The green-skin Titan stared in disbelieve at the shear size of the villain, but blinked when he looked down at his feet. "Is he wearing _sandals_?! What kind of bad-guy wears sandals?!"

"Don't underestimate him!" Robin called as he threw his Birdarang. The whirling weapon struck the behemoth on the cheek bone, though, the monster man shrugged the hit off like it was nothing. Blockbuster, then, threw his arms into the air and slammed them on the ground, creating a mini earthquake. The shaking floor knocked BB from his feet, but, Robin charged right for the villain. Retrieving his bo-staff from his belt, the boy jumped as he unfurled his weapon and flung his body into a spin. A momentum assisted strike bashed into Blockbuster's skull with enough force the behemoth to stagger back. Beast Boy saw the opportunity and started run towards the villain, shifting into a ram. His horned head plowed into the monster man's stomach, pushing Blockbuster into the wall. As mortar chips rained around them, the green-skinned Titan retreated back in his human form and snickered.

"You're not the only one who can remodel a room, sandals." BB declared as he looked to Robin. However, the boy was still on edge, "What?"

"It's not over."

Beast Boy looked to the behemoth as he sent fiery glare at the shape-shifter. Before green-skinned Titan knew what was happening, one of Blockbuster's massive hands knocked into BB right on the chin and sent him flying across the room. Not Monsieur Mallah, not Adonis, not even Cinderblock hit as hard as this monster man's fist slammed into Beast Boy. The shape-shift slowly sat up from the rubble he landed on, watch as Robin attacked the behemoth with a fury of kicks and strikes from his bo-staff. Pain screamed down BB's back as he cringed, relating, "It's like fighting a hurricane with legs! Dude...we might not win this one... ..."

* * *

The swirl phantasm that was Gotham past by Raven's eyes as she gazed out the Batmobile's windows. A storm was coming by what the moody Titan could see of the motionless sky between the blur of buildings. They would reach Farmers National bank soon, which she was thankful if only to escape the hulking mass of testosterone the Dark Knight used to traverse his city. It was far too much, even compared to Cyborg's T-Car. Swept curves, jet powered, and tail-fins that only a car-guy could appreciate, Raven found the Batmobile more of ego trip than a superhero tool. The black on black paint-job was nice, though. Sitting in the all leather interior -which, of course, Bat-MAN had to have that in his car- the moody Titan watched the Dark Knight skillfully twist the steering wheel, operate the clutch pedal, and shifting gears like a master race car driver. They were both kept silent throughout their ride, even avoiding eye contact. Usually one that enjoyed the peace and quiet, Raven was unease that anyone could be as mute as she is. She asked a hesitated question, "Do you have any clue who's robbing any the banks?"

"No." Batman was quick in his response, not leaving the girl a breath after she spoke.

"Well...It is your city and your rogues, so who'd you expect?"

The Dark Knight didn't say a word as he appeared to ignore her, focusing on the road. Despite having to navigate through Gotham's maize of streets, Raven was sure he could have at least be a little more forthcoming on any thoughts he had. With a bit more melodrama than she might have wanted, the moody Titan shot her hands up in the air in a show of '_giving-up_' and folded them under her arms. It was a weak-hearted ploy that was more fitting a toddler, but it seemed to press the right buttons in Batman. "Look. I deal with low-lifes every _day_...and I might be bring you along, but I _don't_ need your help."

"What exactly do you expect me to do when we get there? Sit in the corner and watch?"

"You can stay in the car and pout for I care... "

Just as Raven was about to retort, the Batmobile screeched to a halt across from their intended location. The car's roof slid open and the Dark Knight silently leapt out with a glaring Raven following suit. The Farmers National bank stood in a eerie quiet, without a single soul in sight. Batman didn't falter in his step, however, as he moved on to the steps of the bank, his boot-trots a defiant force in the realm of silence. The moody Titan was a close behind, searching the street any sign of what was to come. A shifting shadow suddenly caught Raven's eye, slowly moving around the submit of stairs. As they ventured closer, the shadow proved to be a man. From what Raven read on the patch of his shirt, he was a security guard from Farmers National. The older hero studied the man for a moment, then tread off to the corner of the bank. Raven called after him, "Wait! Did you want me to check on him or...?!" However, Batman had disappeared into the alley beside the bank. "Ok...I'll go ahead and _save _the guy face down in front of bank robbery. You don't need to trouble yourself with _victims_, like the rest of us... ..."

Bending down and touching the man's neck, she felt a stay pulse and didn't see any signs of serious injury, but there could have been. Raven was furious at the Dark Knight's apathetic attitude, barely taking a second to notice him laying there. Sighing, she pulled out her T-Com and started dialing in a emergency services number for an ambulance. Suddenly, the moody Titan sensed a presence from behind her trying to sneak up on her. As she turned to confront the stranger, she was caught off guard as unknown object was thrust into her face and her world went black.

* * *

It was about seven o'clock when Batgirl and the cybernetic Titan reached the last Farmers National bank on Noir Boulevard. As they stood atop a building catty-corner to the bank, darker and darker clouds rolled over head. Cy could feel the first stray drops of rain beginning to fall and saw the clouds flash as a skyward blimp floated quietly over the city with heavenly grace. Look down, he saw the GCPD begin to gather at the steel wall blocking the entrance of the bank. After trying to break it down with battering rams, the fire department arrived with their hydraulic rescue tools and took a crack at it. After the third Jaws of Life was trashed beyond repair, the firemen and police stood blankly staring at the impregnable steel barrier. It didn't surprise Cyborg, since Batgirl's and his combined attacks couldn't scratch the wall. Cy sighed and looked to his partner on this mission as she studied the bank's exterior with a large set of binoculars. The slight breeze sent a few strands of Batgirl's crimson hair fluttered around her head, creating almost magical atmosphere. It soothed the cybernetic Titan as he spoke to her, "It's no use. The whole place is locked up tight! I've scanned the area twice now and I can't find _anything_."

"...That's right. You use hypersonic senses built into your body, right?" Batgirl related after breaking out of her focus. She handed Cy the hefty binoculars she had been using. The Titan turned them in his hand's as she continued, "Those use the same sonic technology as you, but processed into a virtual picture."

Cyborg placed the device to his eyes and watched as the regular world melted away. A cobalt blue washed over everything as Gotham's skyscrapers and streets dwindled down into simple outlines of themselves. He turned to the bank and saw several orange skeletons holding a conversation at the entrance. The bank was still blocked by the metal barrier, represented by the thick yellow block that extended into the building. Yes, Cy was seeing _through _the bank's walls! The skeletons were the police and firemen outside the scene. Pulling the binoculars from his eyes, the cybernetic Titan turned to Batgirl with a grin and said, "Impressive! It can even designate humans separately from the surrounding environment. The processor on these is _amazing_!"

"I call it...the _Bat's Eye View_!" She beamed as Cyborg looked at her with a bewildered stare. There was no way she could be _serious _about the name, "It's a good name, right? I took some _seriously_ long time thinking it up."

She was serious. With a sheepish smile, Cy replied, "Ah..Yeah! I get right where you were coming from with that one. Bird's Eye, Bat's Eye...it's..great." Batgirl grinned, beside herself, as the Titan looked through the Bat's Eye View -sigh- towards the bank. The hypersonic waves transformed the walls into a transparent blue and Cyborg could see everything and _everyone_ in the bank's lobby. There was eighteen people in all, most of them cowering against one the lobby's far corners. Six of the them sat behind the teller decks in tense postures, holding what appeared to be automatic carbines. There was one last individual, one that paced along a terrace on the back all and lean over the edge ever so often to point a long rifle down at the others. Handing the binoculars to his short-term partner, he stated, "It's a standoff between the six robbers and whoever's trapped them all in their. _He's_ walking on the terrace."

"Okay...I see him..." Batgirl said after looking through the binoculars. Reaching into her utility belt, the girl revealed a handheld device and promptly shot some foreign object at the bank's wall. She then pulled out her mini-tablet and started tapping on the screen. Smirking, Batgirl related, "Bad-guy voice recognition...there is an app for that."

The tablet's screen showed a bouncing green line and flailed as the speakers protected a man's voice, "_Your feeble actions are wasted. Two of you scum you are already dead! This prison you blundered yourselves in is going to soon be your finally resting place!_"

"That must be Lock-Up on the terrace..." The girl asserted as the word's 'Lock' and 'Up' jumped onto the screen, the identity of the male in question. She frowned, "He's the former security chief from Arkham, an expert on incarceration procedures and tactics. He took sick please tortured and abused his inmates until Bruce Wayne and the board of doctors fired him."

"Sounds like a serious freak."

"Yeah, and that's before he started kidnapping public servants and the press. He blamed them for _creating_ the baddies he use to lock up. Batman and Robin put a stop to him a while ago, and I've heard he's now work with the Mafia in Gotham."

"Mafia...So this is a _Mob_ bank!"

Batgirl nodded, "_All _of Farmers National banks are Mob banks. Me and Batman have been following their actives for awhile, trying to get dirt for Commissioner Gordon to bust Farmers National."

"The police _commissioner_, huh? It must be helpful to be in tight with one of the big guys in the city." She didn't reply to Cyborg, just smirk as she looked the hypersonic binoculars back at the bank.

"So all the windows and doors are barred by Lock-Up's steel... "The girl finally related, "...And we can't knock through any of them, even with our combine powers."

"Which only leaves..." The two looked to each and cried, "The _walls_!"

Without another word, the cybernetic Titan dashed to the oppose end of the roof and stooped down into a runners stance. Fling his body forward, Cyborg yelled and bolted towards bank at full speed. As he reached the edge of the rooftop, Cy made a mighty leap with everything his legs could give him. He sailed through air, his jump carried him over the distance between the two buildings. Rearing back his fist, the Titan plowed through the wall with robotic strength. Brick and mortar exploded around him as he flew into the lobby and landed in the middle of fray. "Sorry if I'm late for the party, guys!" Cyborg snickered. One the robbers stood up from behind the desks with a flabbergasted face as Lock-Up leaned over the railing to see who'd made such a dramatic entrance. The cybernetic Titan's arm morphed into his trademark Sonic Cannon and he leveled it at the blackguard on the terrace, blasting a bright funnel of light at the villain. Lock-Up screamed and dove behind the railing and Cy grinned. Suddenly, the corner of the Titan's electronic eye caught the bewildered robber taking back his senses and pulled a gun on him. Cyborg couldn't react in time to stop him as he watched the low-life point his muzzle at his face. Just when Cy was sure he had bought it, a shadow jumped over him slammed her boots right into the robber's nose and flipped back to where the Titan stood.

"Do you normally make yourself a target while fighting?" Batgirl retorted with a smirk.

"I had him _right _where I wanted him!"

Cyborg turned his cannon to teller desks and blasted them away. The robbers filled away in every direction, sending a barrage of submachine gun fire at the two. The shooting in a messy hurry, though, and the heroes easily avoided the bursts of bullets as they ran. Another blast from Cy's Sonic Cannon rang out, knocking one of the robbers to the ground as Batgirl brought one more down with her Batarang. Two of the robbers appeared in front of the cybernetic Titan, firing away at him without even hitting him. Cyborg charged into them, slamming his shoulders down and into the robbers' stomach before knocking them into the wall behind them. Suddenly, a laser bolt exploded next to Cy, prompting him to dive around a overturned desk. Peeking over, he saw Lock-Up sent a stream of laser down on his position while the madman cackled, "Ha ha ha! Not even you can escape from this jail!"

Suddenly, dark colored rope shot out and wrapped around Lock-Up's laser rifle, then yanked the weapon from his grasp. Cy saw Batgirl stand over the laser with a set of whirling bolas in her hand, as she defiantly beamed, "I just gave ourselves an early _parole_!" Before the blackguard could even retort her, the girl threw her bolas at him and the weapon flung itself around Lock-Up. The sudden wrapping of bolas knock the villain off balance and he tripped over the railing, landing on the lobby floor with loud _thud_. Cyborg stood up from behind the desk, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck as Batgirl smirked at him. "Guess you owe me one, now. Huh?" She gave the cybernetic Titan a winked.

"Are you always this _cute _on a mission?" Cy had meant to say _cocky_, but his mouth jumped ahead of him and blurted _cute_. He felt his cheeks start heat up as crossed his arms and make as though he didn't think anything of it. For her part, Batgirl didn't seem to notice as she walked over to the hostages to check on them. Cyborg sighed and went to collect robbers and Lock-Up, dragging them to the center of lobby. He was going to wrap them all up nice and pretty for the GCPD to take to jail. Walking over to the last robber, Cy wonder if his partner felt like stopping off for a bite to eat. Gotham was renowned for it's pizzerias, bagel shops, and hotdog stands. The cybernetic Titan wanted to try it all, right after he tied up this last low-life. As Cyborg turned the robber over, he gasped at his charred wooden face, "Wooah. Somebody got _way_ too much sun!" The crooks eyes opened from his behind his black mask and he shoved a hand gun into Cy gut...then unloaded his clip.

* * *

Read & Review!


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: It's been a bit, but I'm happy with this chapter. R & R

* * *

"Are you always this _cute _on a mission?"

Barbara bit her lip to keep herself from giggling. She wasn't a ditzy teenager on a date with a cute guy. This was different, she was a heroic teenager on a mission with a... Cyborg. There was something about him that tickled the girl's interest, making her smile a little wider and her step a little springier. At first, on that back road to Gotham, she had only seen the cybernetics and not the person. Batgirl considered herself an uncurable tech geek, both on her night job and as the lovely Barbara Gordon. She took trips to S.T.A.R. Labs like most girls her age took trips to the mall, sans the Starbucks. Barbara always became a little scatterbrained around the latest and greatest, and Cyborg was more tricked out than the Bat Computer back at the cave. As Batman's female sidekick walked over to check on the bank hostages, she remembered with a little shame now, how she saw the tech and not the boy connected to it. Even the file the Boss had collected on the cybernetic Titan didn't prepare Batgirl for the sight of him, his polished mechanics gleaming from the rain. However, her daze was quickly broken by his outburst. She remember him assuring that he wasn't the latest smart phone, but living and breathing person. That was when Barbara really saw him, the _human _being Cyborg. He glared her, slapped her hand away, and yelled at her with passion. Something deep down inside the girl responded to the display, Cyborg's fight to be considered apart of mankind. _He looked good doing it_, Batgirl mused as she comforted one of the hostages. _He looked real good! _She felt her cheeks heat up and she was sure they were turning red. Barbara was only grateful that she had her back turned to Cy.

_**Bang! Bang! Bang! **_Batgirl breath caught in her throat as she heard the gunfire erupted through the lobby. The dread pinned Barbara to the spot, kneeling in front of a woman she had saw holding her shoulder. The girl had wanted to help her, but all she could do was watch as the woman scream. It was drowned out by another gunshot...and another, and _another_. Barbara jumped at ever bang, though, she never moved from her spot. It had all happened in a second, and she _hesitated_. By the time Batgirl had swallowed her breath, she found her leg and she flung herself around in a run to Cyborg. He was on the ground, flat on his back and wasn't moving. As Barbara knelt down beside the cybernetic Titan, she felt warm tears roll down cheeks as she gently lift his head. "Cyborg! Speak to me!" She cried, "Don't quite now! Your friends..._all _of us! We need you!"

Cyborg's one organic eye opened and looked up at the girl drowsily as he said in a hoarse whisper, "...You bet y'alls butts you do." Barbara let out loud sigh of relief as Cy smirked at her. The Titan started to pull himself up, but he yowled in pain and grunted, "Greh! Those bullets must of punched through one of my main relay controllers...I can't move anything below my arms... ..."

Batgirl surveyed the damage to her partner's waist, stretching her hand across the bullet holes and whipping the machine lubricants out of the way. It didn't appear all too different than when her Batcycle was shot-up, but there was no comparison with Cyborg. "Forty-five ACP, full metal jacket...Black Mask's prefered choice." Barbara related, recognizing the ravaged pattern in Cy's injury, "It looks like he just had his handgun. You were lucky. One of his Tommy guns could have cut you in half at close range."

"Yeah...I really feel _lucky_. Heh heh..." The cybernetic Titan snickered. Batgirl placed her hand on Cy cheek and softly stroke him, thankful that he was still here. They smiled at each other in silence for a moment as the whole world circled around them. Barbara wonder what he was thinking, if Cyborg happy face was because he was still alive or that something else was making him grin. Maybe _someone_ else. This was all happening so fast, Barb couldn't help feeling overcome by these new emotions. But as she stared into the Titan's dark features next to his cybernetic ones, her troubled mind eased into a big smile. Batgirl felt so relexed that the sudden gun muzzle pressed to her head nearly made her yelp.

"What a touching scene..." She heard Black Mask relate sarcastically, "I hate to interrupt the two of you, but the party isn't over just yet!" Stepping around the front of Batgirl, his gun pointed right between her eyes, the crimelord surveyed Cyborg and her with smirking eyes. "Don't try anything, Bat-Brat! You know how I dislike _funny business_... ..."

The girl glared knifes into Black Mask, her fingers itching to go for her belt. Cy noticed Barbara's hand and calmly said to her, "Take it easy, Batgirl. The man has a _gun_ in your face... there's nothing you can do about it right now."

"So the tin-man does have a brain! And he's _right_! I got one bullet chambered and crying for me to blow your pretty little head clean off your shoulders!" Black Mask then slow went over to one of his tied up goons and began search through his pockets, all the while keeping his eye and muzzle on the two. He produced a track phone from one of the robber's coat pockets and began to dial. Placing the phone to his head, he started talking to someone on the other end. "Tony! It's me... ... Yeah, yeah, I know how long it's been. Listen Tony, get the truck here fast... Oh, you still are! Good... Just use the truck and smash through the wall... ... Yeah, it is smart... Don't worry, it's an _armored_ truck. Should bust right through. Thrust me... I watched a robo-boy Cape do it a little bit ago... you'll get through." The crimelord gazed over to Barb and Cyborg as he switched the phone off and smashed it against the ground, announcing, "Look's like I'm still getting the money! But, don't be sad...I'll let you keep Lock-Up _and_ my crew. I'll even give the Bat something to remember me by... another _dead_ sidekick!"

Just as Black Mask raised his pistol to fire, a familiar funnel of energy boomed across the lobby and struck the crimelord right in the chest. The villain was flung back in the air, his gun flying to the other side of the room, as Black Mask knock out of his senses. " _Booyah_!" The cybernetic Titan declared at the top of his lungs. Batgirl grinned and looked down at Cy as he returned it to her. "Almost thought he had us, didn't ya'?"

"Were you...waiting for the most dramatic moment to shot!" Cyborg smirked and winked to her with his one organic eye. Barbara couldn't help but giggle. Suddenly, the back wall of the lobby burst apart as an armored truck barreled in. It stopped a distance from the two and a short man in a Italian suit jumped out of it's driver's side door, a Tommy gun at the ready. Before the man had time to even pull back the weapon's bolt, Batgirl sprung to life and launched a Batarang, knocking the submachine gun out of his hands.

With a gasp of fear, the man stared at the girl for a second in disbelieve, then looked past her. Barb blinked and as she turned to she what was behind her, an arm shoved her to the side as a figure dashed for the truck. Surprisingly back on his feet, Black Mask grabbed the man who he called Tony and commanded him to kill the two, then pushed him away and climbed into the truck. With a grunt, Batgirl charged for the armored vehicle, however, Tony had jumped into her path with switchblade waving in his hand. Jumping down into a slid, the girl sailed her legs around Tony's feet and twisted, sending the goons skull into the floor. With a skillful roll, Barbara position herself up and tossed another Batarang at the truck, but it bounced off harmlessly. The truck skidded away backwards through the hole it had created and zoomed off into the night. With a frustrated grunt, Batgirl returned to her partner and knelt back down beside him. Cyborg looked up at her and sighed, "Not a bad night-out, huh?"

With a warm smile, Barbara snickered, "Black Mask got away...but we saved the money and caught most of the crooks. I'd say it was good first _date_."

* * *

The mighty roar of thunder clapped overhead as the Dark Knight exited from the alleyway. The rain was falling more densely as the storm clouds flashed and another crackle of thunder rang. It was only going to get worse, Batman knew, as bulk of the tempest moved through. However, with his investigation of the perimeter finished, the hero could finally enter the bank and put a stop to whoever was in there. Rounding the corner, the Dark Knight found the street totally empty, Raven gone. The guard she was assisting was missing too, thus Batman thought it was safe bet that the moody Titan had taken the man to a hospital. _Good_, he mused to himself, _One less thing to worry about._ The teen had been one of Batman's larger concerns about Robin's team visiting his city. The daughter of a demon overlord, who played a key role in nearly destroying the world... it was easy to him to see why Raven couldn't be trusted. She was merely being let this far in on the Dark Knight's ex-partner's word, but she wasn't _good_ enough to bring the Titan in on real mission. As far as Batman was concerned, she was just along on the ride.

Striding through Farmers National's glass doors, Batman was confronted by four man dressed up as playing cards, with large heart shaped masks on their heads. _It was going to be one of __**those**__ nights, huh?_ The Dark Knight silently sighed, then his eye caught the shoulder patches visible under the playing cards' customs. Like the man Raven attended to outside, the cards were the bank's security guards, somehow enlisted into robbing their place of work. "You're late, Batman!" Cried a voice from the shadows. The darkened half of the bank lobby suddenly lit up, revealing the bank's desks and chairs bunched up into a pile. At the top of this mountain was fully made up, round dinner table, with a white tablecloth and all the wares to serve tea. Clapping his hands, the man sitting at the table jumped on top of it and addressed Batman, "Yes, yes! You are awfully _late_! I started serving out tea ages ago! I was afraid I would deplete the stock before you even arrived... "

His erratic, hodge-podge of Victorian clothing and large top hat was all too familiar to the Dark Knight. "_Mad Hatter_." Batman related in his dark tone, "I was wondering who was dumb enough to try to steal from three banks at the _same_ time... "

"_Three_ banks!" Replied the madman as his demented eyes blinked, "Do ye, the Caped Crusader, place the evil deeds of others on this innocent soul? I was only planning to rob the treasures lading in the concert and steel stores of _this_ financial establishment. What do you think I am? _MAD_?! Ha heh ha ha!" Mad he was, Batman knew, but he believed the madman. There was no reason to hide the truth now. The Dark Knight had met Jervis Tetch, a.k.a. the Mad Hatter, many previous times in the past. His advice knowledge of mind control technology made Tetch dangers, and coupled with his delusional belief that he was the incarnation of the character from Alice in Wonderland, he was deadly. Batman knew had have to stay on his toes with the villain. The Hatter then cackled, "Tonight's the night, my fine Bat fellow! The night...I finally take my _revenge_ on you! Ha ha!"

The Dark Knight's brow tightened into a fierce glare, "If you mean for foiling your kidnapping of an innocent woman..."

"That was my _Alice_! Oh...she would have been so happy with me...living in our own little world, having tea parties all day." Tetch's hand's inched over his eyes as he made sniffling noises. Then he teared them away and gritted his teeth, "Then _you_ came! Beating the tar out of me and _rescuing_ my Alice. Sure, she didn't _want_ to be with me, but that gave you no right to spoil our party!" Suddenly, the play card dressed guards' hands produced an assortment of weapons, pointing assault rifles and raising blunt objects. The Dark Knight step back into an defense stance, looking to each guard. With the Hatter's mind controlling tech, the madman needed only wish for the four to attack, without saying a word. They, fortunately, seem only to be responding to Tetch's violate emoting as they lowered their arms as the Mad Hatter calmed himself. "Yes, Batman...I've waited a long time for this night. I and Gotham will finally be rid of your constant _meddling_, and I will be remembered for the man who _killed_ Batman!"

The Dark Knight's eyes narrowed as his hand slowly moved to his utility belt, the Hatter watching him with a sadist's grin. Then the two play cards whipped their hands up, blasting away with Ak-47s, but Batman had alright flew past their heads. His grapple gun pulling him along, the Dark Knight tossed a number of gas pellets at the entranced guards, engulfing them in smoke. Swinging to the far side of them, Batman landed and prepared to enter the cloud and finish them off. Suddenly, several AK rounds screamed past his head and the hero jumped for covered. Peering from behind a pillar, Batman noted that his thick gas cloud was still blocking any sight of the play cards, and in effect, also blocking their vision of him. A few more shots struck the pillar, erasing any thoughts of guards having blind luck.

"Sorry, Batman..." The Mad Hatter declared, "..but I'm more then prepared for your crafty little toys! My new mind-control masks allow me to see what my Red Guards see...and it, in turn, allows them to see what _I_ see."

A playing card goon jumped out of the gas cloud and charged for the pillar, but Batman remained still. Rounding the pillar, the guard raised his crowbar above his head and swung it at the hero's skull. The Dark Knight caught it between his hands and struggled to push the entranced man away without moving from his spot. It was obvious the Hatter knew this single attacker couldn't meet Batman's strength and skill, but he could draw him out from behind the pillar and into the line of fire. Tetch was playing it more even headed than usual, and his new mind-control technology had taken the Dark Knight a little off-kilter. _It's nothing compared with what I've faced before! _Batman thought to himself, then grabbed the playing card's wrist and twisted it into a very uncomfortable angle. The guard's crowbar dropped to the floor and the Dark Knight jumped straight up in the air, drop kicking the entranced man's face as he came down. With playing card knocked cold, Batman made a quick dashed across the lobby as AK bullets streaked past his back. It only took a split second for him to notice from the corner of his eye that the gas cloud had vanished and three playing card goons were visible again. Making a B-line for the guards, the Dark Knight quickly launched two Batarangs and struck both assault rifles with precision accuracy, ending their barrage. The third playing card, then, rush for Batman with steel baseball bat. Without missing a step, he grabbed the bat with two hand, twisted it out of the guard's grasps, and smashed it into his cheek as he ran past the man. With the momentum of his run, Batman crashed his palm into one playing card's chest, laying him out, then jumped and shifted his weight into a left hook into the last guard's jaw. All in all, it must of took the Dark Knight six seconds to takeout the three... a little sluggish for him.

"NO! No, no, _no_!" Bellowed Tetch as the madman stomped his feet on the table, shaking the china atop it, "You're suppose to _die_! Not beat up my Red Guards! It's not fair!" Batman surveyed the brooding villain with annoyance and produced a Batarang to topple the Hatter. Suddenly, a hard blunt object smack against the Dark Knight's shoulder and forced him to one knee. He grunted from the pain, but managed to roll away before whatever had hit him did so again. Twisting around, Batman found an athletically built woman holding a wooden sword and wearing a mouse mask. "Ah! I see that the Dormouse has finally awoken!" The Mad Hatter gleefully announced, "This Dormouse, you well find Batman, is much more _animated_ than the usually dormice!"

The Dormouse charged for the Dark Knight, swinging her sword in downward slices at the hero. Each powerful blow was quick and well aimed, but Batman was able to dodge or counter all of them. She retreated backwards, speedily, without facing away from him as the Dark Knight dropped into a defensive pose. It suddenly dawned on him that this Dormouse was using kendo moves, a Japanese martial art with roots in traditional swordsplay. Batman had mastered kendo, himself, but was use to the bamboo shinai and it's flexibility. She was wielding a bokken, made from solid wood, and she knew how to use it. Making another charge, the Dormouse quickly dashed across the distance between them with her sword held high. The Dark Knight was ready, though, and ran for her as well. As they reach each other, Batman unfurled a Batarang and met the Dormouse's bokken with it. The two brushed past each other, then stopped with their backs turned. Batman touched his side and grunted when he felt the bruised rib the wooden sword had created. She was better then the Dark Knight expected. He glanced over his shoulder and watched his opponent as she stood perfectly still. Then a clank of wood hitting the lobby floor filled the room, as the bokken split into two and fell, along with it's owner. The Dormouse wasn't that good, however.

"Arrhhh!" Tetch screamed as he wrenched his fists, "Why is it so impossible to _kill_ you!"

"This game of your's is _over_, Hatter."

"I decide when the party is finished! And I also decide who get's served next..." A large man appeared from the shadows as the madman spoke. He wore a brown rabbit's mask and MMA fighting gloves. "Meet March Hare... a two-time UFC champion in mixed martial arts! You'll find-" But before the Hatter could finish what he was ranting about, Batman walked over, ducked a punch, then sent a left uppercut into the champ's chin. With the Hare dazed, the Dark Knight laid him out with a right hook into his nose. Tetch was furious, "You tactless slubberdegullion! You didn't even give him a chance to fight back! Where's your good sportsmanship spirit, man!"

"I'll gave you one last chance to gave up, Tetch." Batman related as he crossed his arms. "Your out of Wonderland characters, so come down from there. _Now_."

"Aye...I must face the bitter truth... ..." The madman sullenly began to climb down off of the table, but then came to a halt, "Oh, but, wait! I still have one more friend for you to meet! Someone more important than I in our story... the _main _character, even!" The Dark Knight's peripheral vision caught sight of something dropping down slowly from above and quickly looked up. Blinking, Batman watched as girl in a light blue dress with buttons, tall white stockings, and puffy sleeves floated down. A light, skin-tone mask covered most of her face with a fake plastic crop of blond hair. As she landed softly next to Tetch, the Mad Hatter grabbed her shoulders and grinned, "Meet my new friend, Batman! My brand new _Alice_!"

From where Batman stood, he could see enough of the girl's features to recognize her and whispered aloud her, "_Raven_... ..."

* * *

Dropping down at the behemoth villain with cry, Robin aimed the heel of his foot and slammed into Blockbuster's forehead. The monster man didn't flinch, but did bellow with anger as he tried to grab the leader Titan leaping away from him. The former Boy Wonder landed in a knelt, taking a moment to catch his breath from hour long battle. The sweat beaded down Robin's face and he wrenched his gloved hand up to whip the wetness from his brow. He turned to the green-skin Titan standing a ways off, equally panting and sweating as he was. Blockbuster, though, was at his peek and maybe _better_. The behemoth just kept going and going, punching and punching, never feeling a single hit from either of the Titans' attacks. Collecting himself once more, Beast Boy charged for the villain as he changed into a fierce tiger with rows of razor teeth, ready to tear. As BB leapt for the monster man, Blockbuster effortlessly sent an upwards back-hand into the tiger's jaw and knock the shape-shifter flying back. Robin quickly step back and caught his friend as he shifted back to human. Beast Boy hung limp in exhaustion as the leader Titan held onto his arms, groaning, "Why'd we get _stuck_ with the human freight train?! I bet everyone else's guys were pushovers and flatten them in no time!"

Blockbuster reared up for another drive at the boys. The ex-Boy Wonder pulled BB onto his feet, retrieving his new grapple gun from his utility belt. "For our sake...I hope you're right, Beast Boy." Robin replied, staring the monster man down. Robin knew that they couldn't beat Blockbuster alone, but only buy time until everyone had finished their respective banks. Then reinforcements would arrive, but for now Beast Boy and him had to face the villain on their own. Barreling towards them, the behemoth roared and swung his fists back and forth wildly, annihilating anything in his path. The two heroes stood their ground, the green-skin Titan a little apprehensive and the leader Titan in stoic poise. Just as Blockbuster was about to plow over them, Robin tossed his grapple to his shape-shifter friend who shot a line up into the ceiling as former Boy Wonder jumped away. The monster man slid to a stop and twisted his fist at Robin, which the boy only barely dodged as it crashed into the lobby floor. He punched again and the Titan rolled underneath it, coming up on the other side of Blockbuster. Seeing that the behemoth was in place, the leader Titan called out, "Beast Boy, NOW!" Hanging from the ceiling, the green-skin Titan let go of the grapple gun and dropped down on the monster man, shifting into a heavy elephant. BB's rear-end smacked Blockbuster to the floor, pinning him to the ground with over eight tones of weight.

The green-skin Titan smiled in his elephant form, proud of besting the behemoth with his girth. Suddenly, BB's large body floated up into the air as Blockbuster screamed and lifted the shape-shifter from the floor. Beast Boy then sailed across the lobby, landing with a great crash that broke even more of the destroyed bank. Changing back to normal, BB clenched his head and said, "This dude is the Energizer Bunny of badguys!"

With his bo-staff already out, Robin was able to redirect and block the monster man's blows. With another redirected punch hitting the ground, the leader Titan stepped up Blockbuster's arm and leapt from his shoulder, landing next to Beast Boy. He then replied to the other Titan, "Blockbuster get's stronger the more angry he is."

"Dude! Fighting him only get's him _angrier_!"

The monster man roared and beat his chest, stomping his feet as though he was going to charge at them again. "I don't think he's going to give us a choice!" Robin related as his hand retrieved three disc-grenades from his belt. _This isn't going to end well_, the leader Titan as he turned to the green-skin Titan. Beast Boy was barely on his feet, his arms and neck drooping limp, and Robin could tell he was on his last legs. Bellowing, Blockbuster rushed for the two Titans with gritting teeth. Tossing his grenades, the ex-Boy Wonder watched the discs explode against the behemoth, however, with little effect on the villain. Beast Boy charge, himself, for the monster man and was halfway shifted into a fierce Tyrannosaurus, but Blockbuster sent the Titan to the floor with one massive slap of his hand. Dread filled the boy as the behemoth reared up his giant fists to crash BB. Robin leapt in front of his green-skin friend and held his bo-staff up to block the monster man's attack, with no hope of stopping him.

Suddenly a emerald flash popped across the former Boy Wonder's vision and the next thing he knew was that Blockbuster was down on the floor. Twisting around, Robin found his Tamaran girlfriend floating in the air with her eyes glowing green. "Starfire!" he gleefully exclaimed, though the happy moment was short-lived as a grunt from Blockbuster's direction alerted the leader Titan. The behemoth was still in the fight and he lifted himself up, slowly, from the ground as he rubbed the scorch mark on his forehead. The alien-girl Titan hovered in front of Robin, ready with a defensive pose, as the boy said to her, "Be careful, Star. This guy only gets stronger with-"

"I do not wish to talk to you, Robin..." Starfire declared, cutting the leader Titan off. "I had kindly requested you once before this evening to _refrain_ from speaking to me. Just because I am saving your life, does not mean I forgive you!" The boy blinked in utter confusion, overwhelmed that his girlfriend was still obsessing over their fight earlier. The Tamaran girl bellowed a war cry and zoomed are the monster man, knocking more sense into him than Beast Boy and the leader Titan had all evening. With each punch Starfire made into Blockbuster's hide, she breathed a sharp scream that seem to shake the whole bank lobby.

Robin watched for a moment in an enchanted gaze, then heard a small groan at his feet. BB was awake, but the fight was still slapped out of him and didn't seem like could get up on his own. Bending down, the former Boy Wonder hefted his shape-shifter friend onto his feet, steadying him with a shoulder and arm. As Beast Boy and he surveyed the continued one-sided battle between huge Blockbuster and the little Starfire, Robin realized something. "Blockbuster might gain strength from his emotional state, but so does Starfire!" the boy related as his girlfriend launched an uppercut to the behemoth's chin, sending him flying back against the wall.

The green-skinned Titan nodded in agreeance, but then added, "Dude...The reason Star's winning is she's ticked at _you_... ..." Robin felt his breath tight as he quietly gasped, recognizing the truth in the shape-shifter's words. Another sharp scream blew from the Tamaran's lungs, ranging through the lobby and ending in the ex-Boy Wonder's heart. He gritted his teeth and looked away, no longer baring to watching Starfire's fiery attacks, now that he knew what fueled them. The shame of what he done to her, ignoring her, patronizing ever thought he had of her, it ripped through Robin with every hot cry. Starfire was his _girlfriend_, not some poor helpless alien he pitied. The leader Titan felt his the very core of his being darken.

With a loud thud, Blockbuster crashed to the floor as five smoldering scorch marks burned on his chest. The Tamaran girl landed and place one victorious boot atop her fallen foe, her fist raised up in sour triumph. Star looked on the downed monster man with silent frown, but suddenly yelped as gloved hand grabbed her wristed and twisted her towards him. A stoic Robin confronted the girl, now, and the upset Starfire averted her eyes from him. "I do not wish to speak with y-" But before the girl could finished, her boyfriend wrapped his arms around her in a close hug.

Robin felt her gasped softly against his neck and he whispered to her, "I'm sorry Star...for _everything_." The Tamaran girl didn't reply, but he feel her muscles tightening under his grasp and went on, "All this time I assumed I was helping you understand Earth and everyday life...but I was _smothering_ you. If I didn't think you'd understand something, I'd keep you from knowing it...but that's the last thing I should have done. I _love_ you...and I should tell you everything about me and my life."

Pulling back from his hug, the ex-Boy Wonder saw the tears on Starfire's lashes, rolling down the Tamaran's cheeks. "I love you, too." The girl replied, "...Thank you." She closed her eyes and slowly moved in, pressing her lips against Robin's and puckering in a small tender kiss. Drawing Starfire to him, the leader Titan kissed her back as the world around him started to feel right once more.

"Aaahem...!" Two broke and turned to Beast Boy, weakly holding himself up with stick-like piece of debris, "Are we finished here? Because I just lost the feeling in my legs and everything starting to taste like purple!"

* * *

Raven felt imprisoned in her own body. She couldn't make her arms move or her legs, nor her fingers or toes. The moody girl could not even blink, she could only breath sharply as she looked down at Batman. The freak in a top hat clenched Raven's shoulders as his mind invaded hers. There was no fighting back as the tech enhanced mask on her temple sapped the will from her spirit. The Titan was a puppet on invisible strings, tugged on by the _Mad Hatter_. "She truly surprised me, my dear Alice..." The madman declared from beside Raven, "Stumbling upon her on the steps of the bank, my heart burst with joy! Could it be, I thought! Could it be, that fate has begotten another darling vision to complete my tea party? And when I placed my mask upon her head, what a _wonder_ I found! The mystery of the Cheshire Cat, but with the ferocity of a _Jabberwocky_!"

"Raven, listen to me." The Dark Knight called from below, "Concentrate on my voice... and it may interfere with Tetch's neural connection."

"Oh, yes, Batman! She has an exceptionally strong mind..." The Hatter gently stroked the moody Titan's dark hair, "..but with a little time...she and I became fast _friends_. Heh Ha!"

"You're _insane_."

"_Sticks _and _stones_, Dark Knight! Ha heh ha!" the madman step back from the girl, and Raven suddenly felt his mind overwhelming her body. "Now, my long eared foe...you shall feel the wrath of my _Alice_!"

The puppet Raven arms stretched out against her will as dark energy wrapped around her body, morphing into bird. The next thing she knew, the moody Titan was zooming at Batman at a terrible speed. The Dark Knight dove to the right as Raven crashed into the lobby floor. Twist around, the girl caught sight of Batman as she felt her powers engulf around two large teller desks. He magic sent them flying past her and at the hero. Jumping to avoid the one desk, the Dark Knight found he hadn't the time for the second. He quickly leapt atop of it, flipping over the wooden furniture to safety. Batman launched a couple Batarangs at her, but the girl's powers easily caught the whirling weapons and tossed them back to where they came. With hurried reflexes, the Dark Knight pulled up his arms and blocked the Batarangs from striking his face.

Raven heard the Hatter cackle as her armed moved up level to the hero and a black talon shot out from it. The dark energy slammed into Batman, knocking him back, and pinning him to the wall as he grunted with pain. He struggled against the black talon, but his strength wasn't enough. The moody Titan's mind raced as she watched herself crush the Dark Knight by her magic. She focused with all she had, trying desperately to take control of her body from the madman. Suddenly, a picture of the Hatter's face crossed the mind's eye of the girl. Raven focused and imagined herself balling up a fist and punching that face. The black talon that held Batman to the wall disappeared for a moment, as the Titan heard the madman groan in pain. "Not too bad, my little Alice..." The Mad Hatter related, "But I am a _master _of the pysche!" The puppet strings once again took hold of Raven, and her arm blasted another dark energy attack at the hero. Seeing once more the black talon coming for him, the Dark Knight retrieved an item from his utility belt and quickly placed it on his fingers. Standing ready for the attack, the moody Titan had thought the worst. _No! He's going for the kill this time!_ Raven felt her powers aim right for Batman's heart as she fought for control. She knew he hadn't a chance, and as the dark energy reached the hero, he reared back his arm and slammed his balled fist into the talon. However, the most amazing thing happen. Batman's punch _dissolved_ the dark energy! Her attack thwarted, the madman raved in disbelieve. "But! But! I-It's not _possible_! NO! You were suppose to _die_!"

"Not today, Hatter."

Both of Raven's arms were pulled up and her powers launched two of black talons, however, the Dark Knight knocked them away with his fist. Batman dashed for the girl, punching more dark energy apart as the madman tried to stop him. Reaching her, the Titan's magic erected a black bubble around her to keep the hero out, but it shattered like the rest of the dark energy from one swift hit of Batman's fist. The Dark Knight snatched the Alice mask from Raven and crushed it between his fingers. The girl eyes closed and she took a deep breath of air. Her mind was finally free of the madman, and as much as she hated to admit it, she smiled up at Batman in thanks. Raven looked at the destroyed Alice mask in the Dark Knight's hand, but her eyes soon caste upon the shiny brass weapon on his fingers. Etched into the brass was written that the moody girl recognized from her studies; Latin, Tibetan, and Arabic. "Is that what you use to dispel my magic?" Raven asked, pointing to the weapon.

"Thrice blessed brass knuckles." Replied the Dark Knight, "I used it when fending off Dracula's evil minions."

"Dracula?"

"It's a _long_ story... ..."

The two heard the shattering of a tea cup and turned to find the Mad Hatter gone. Batman rushed to the other side of the desk pile, but as the moody Titan started to move she felt something off about her person. Freed from the madman's evil technology, he had left her one last sinister part of him for Raven to discover. "What. Am. I. _WEARING_?"

The giant bank vault door that Batman stood in front of was made from the mightiest of reinforced steel. It's size dwarfed the Dark Knight, as it would any man, challenging any who'd dare attempt to forcefully open it. The Mad Hatter was on the other side. With no other place to go, the madman had jumped into the vault he had plan on robbing and closed it behind him. As Batman surveyed the door for any weaknesses, dark energy wrapped across the steel surface and engulf the door. The massive steel edifice was tore away from the wall, then sent flying to the other side of the lobby. The Dark Knight barely had time to move out it's way, and he turn see an enraged Raven walk into the vault. The Titan's magic ripped from her body as she looked around the vault, the small wind it had kicked up blow the hem of her blue dress about. The Hatter was in the center of the room, slouched down in front of a great hole in the floor. "Why? Why _me_?" He posed to the air and wept, before the girl growled vocally. Twist around, the Mad Hatter gasped as he saw the furious Titan walked towards him with glowing red eyes. "N-Now, now! No need for a long chase or battle!" He placed his hand up together and said with an submissive voice, "I _give up_!"

Raven continued foreword, her hair whipping around the place as she glared at the madman, saying, "You put me in a _dress_!"

"I-If it's any consolation... it looks quite fetching on you...!" The deep frown on the girl's face became even deeper. The Hatter looked to the Dark Knight standing at the vault doorway, "Please! Batman! You can't let her does _this_ to me!"

Batman darkly smirked at him and inquired the villain, "How is a _Raven _like a writing desk, Hatter?"

The madman blinked, but before he could say a thing, Raven growled again and brought the focus back onto her. The Mad Hatter yelped and looked around him at the hole in the floor, then said, "I guess there's no other choice but to see how far _this_ rabbit hole goes... ..." Twisted about, the madman cackled and leapt down the hole.

The moody Titan launched a black talon to grab the Hatter, however, she was too late. She heard a thud at the bottom of the hole and the cackling stopped. Suddenly, a loud bang sounded and loud hissing rang from the hole. The Dark Knight and Raven rushed to the edge of the hole and the older hero shone a flashlight into it's dark reaches. The pool of light lit the falling form of the Mad Hatter as he looked up at the two and snickered, "Twinkle, twinkle, little Bat! Ha hha heh geh ha ha!" And the villain laughed, and laughed, and laughed... ...

* * *

Note: I never intended for that riddle from Alice in Wonderland to appear her, but when I found it...I, mean, come on! Read & Review


	6. Chapter 6

Gotham's skies were pouring as the three Titans exited Farmers National. Beast Boy's injuries had required the leader Titan and the Tamaran girl to carry him by the arms as medics rushed over to help. It seemed as though an entire police precinct had been waiting for them, probably because of prior dealings with Blockbuster. Robin was sure if Starfire hadn't arrived, the monster would have demolish the rest of the bank -BB and him included- and then go on a rampage across the city. The medics took their shape-shifter friend into an aid station setup under a plastic tarp and the two Titan's watched as they checked him. The rain beat hard against the tarp, sounding like the snare of a drum in the background as one the female medic's asked Beast Boy a few questions. "Do you remember what happened?"

BB grin and replied, "Yeah...I beat some Gotham baddie butt!"

"Do you have an headaches?" The green-skinned Titan shook his head yes as he gripped his temple. The woman pulled out a some flashlight and shone it into his eyes, asking, "Any nausea?"

"Are we going order something to eat?"

The medic smiled and said that they might later, patting Beast Boy's shoulder and letting one of her colleagues continue with the Titan. She took Robin and Star to the side, and said to them, "Your friend has some minor injuries, but I'm more concerned about the concussion he's sustained. I'm sure you Capes are use to dealing with them, in your line of work, but he should get treatment right away."

"We'll be sure to do that."

The medic nodded to Robin and left the two with the shape-shifter Titan. BB gave them a somewhat distant look, but the smirk he gave them put the former Boy Wonder at ease. The last of the medics went off as well, shaking the three's hands and communing their respect for Capes like them. Alone, the Tamaran girl turned to Robin with a confused look and inquired, "Love Robin, why do the Gotham City healers refer to us as _Capes_?"

The leader Titan paused for a moment as he felt hesitant to answer. He just told Starfire that he wasn't going to patronize her anymore, so he tried to word a careful response, "..Batman's saved a lot of people in Gotham. They just want to show that they respect superheroes, like him and us."

"But I do not wear a cape."

"Right...it's really just a nickname... ..."

The girl nodded slowly, though, Robin could tell she didn't entirely grasped the concept. Then a familiar voice hit the leader Titan's ears, "I don't care if it's a weekend! I have Blockbuster laying in the middle of bank unconscious for Lord knows how much longer, and I can't get him to _budge_ without a forklift!"

"Commissioner Gordon!"

The boy happily called over to the white haired man as he quickly moved over to him. The old cop was sitting in a police cruiser yelling into his cell, but when the commissioner caught sight of the ex-Boy Wonder dashing over to him, he went out into the pouring rain to greet the Titan. "Robin, my boy! It's been a heck of a while, hasn't it."

"It sure has."

The commissioner gave the boy a firm handshake as Star came up behind them. "Is this elderly wet person a friend of yours, Robin?" She asked her boyfriend, but the old cop introduced himself.

"James Gordon, Gotham City Police Commissioner." Starfire looked down at the man's offered hand for split-second, before remember her Earth costumes and taking it with a smile. As the three returned under the aid station's tarp, the old cop inquired to the Tamaran Titan, "So, you're apart of Robin's new team?"

"Oh, yes! After I arrived on Earth and started destroy the city, I met Robin and we did battle. Then, he and our friends formed the Teen Titans team."

"...oh... ...?" Gordon blinked at the girl for a moment and turned to the leader Titan who smiled.

"It's really a long story." Robin related, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Suddenly, someone called over for Gordon, "Hey, Comish!" The ex-Boy Wonder twisted around and saw a lumbering, fat form dashing over to them, someone all too familiar to Robin. Lieutenant Bullock -a GCPD detective- stood hunched over in front of them under the tarp, pulling off his rain drenched fedora as he panted for breath. Recollecting himself, the lieutenant looked at the three Titans and then asked Gordon, "What's with all the Capes? Was there a pajama sale in town?"

"Lieutenant, you remember Batman's young partner, right?" The older cop replied.

Bullock turned to the leader Titan and gave Robin a sneered, "So, Birdie Boy finally came back to the nest, huh?"

The boy glared at him, "It's not for good, if you're worried. I've got other business to settle and we'll be packing up for Jump City, soon." The overweight detective placed a wooden toothpick into between the sleazy grin he gave Robin and nodded to him.

The commissioner tapped Bullock's shoulder with an irritated finger and pulled his attention back on him, "You needed something...Lieutenant?"

"Oh yeah! O'Hara and Smeal just called in from the other two Farmers Nationals. Appears that a few more Capes' buddies barged in on the robbers at each and messed up the whole scene."

"You mean, did the hard the work for us, Lieutenant."

The large detective scoffed and mumbled a few curses, but made no word in protest to Gordon. Fixing his hat back atop his head, Bullock turned to leave and related to the Titans in a taunting tone, "Enjoy your stay, _Capes_!"

Robin crossed his arms and gritted his teeth as he watch the lieutenant ran through the rain. He had forgotten just how nasty the man was, finding just the right inflection to sharping such innocent words. Starfire turned to the boy and inquired about the very detective, "This _Lieutenant_...he uses the word 'Capes' in a very _un-_respectable manner. Does the man hold a grudge against you, Robin?"

"More like Batman and any hero like him."

"Bullock's a prick to everybody, in general." The commissioner added, "But he's a good cop. Sometimes, even good cops can't see the importance of people like you."

The leader Titan smiled to his old friend, happy to see that he still thought highly of superheroes. A long stretch of thunder sounded across the sky, which almost drowned out Robin's T-Com beeping on his utility belt. He placed the com close to his ear as more booms rang from above, then gasped. "Robin! What is wrong?!" Star blinked at her boyfriend, shocked by his expression.

"We have to get back to the Clock Tower! _Now_!"

* * *

The Tamaran girl knew something was amiss as she exited the elevator. The large room which housed the maze of wooden boxes was mostly unaffected, but the gaping hole in the glass clock-face clenched onto Robin's and her attention near immediately. The storm from outside sent down streams of water from the jagged edges of hole as streak of lighting highlighted the empty space. Starfire's boyfriend was the first to recover from his stupor and quickly dashed for the conjoining room, the girl following behind. As they enter, they both froze as they saw the figure sprawled out on the floor next to table that had held Red X. "Lucius Fox!" Star cried and flew over to felling man. Gentle rolling their ally over, she lifted Fox's head up by his neck as she knelt beside him. "Please, friend Fox! Do you have the ability to speak? Please, say something!"

The dark man's eyes cracked open and he stared up at the alien girl, "Sta-Starfire... ...? I'm...sorry... ...I couldn't...!" Fox groaned in pain and grabbed that his chest.

Starfire tried to get Lucius to say more and elaborate as to what he meant, as the leader Titan walked past her. Placing his gloved hand on the naked metal surface of the table, Robin gritted a deep toothy frown and pounded the table with his fist. The Tamaran girl bowed her head, sadden to see her boyfriend in such a manner. She knew the boy blamed himself, think that he might have been able to stop Red X from escaping. _He should not blame himself, though, _she thought to herself, _There was no tell if the Red X had planned for robbery of the banks or had not... but he was certainly able to use the robberies to his advantage_. Star knew her boyfriend very well, however, and he would still blame himself whatever the case being. The T-Com started beeping once again on Robin's belt, but he ignored it and clenched his fists on the table. Taking matters into her own hands, Star took the com and activated it. "Robin, come in. Robin..." The moody Titan's voice sprung from the speaker, poised and neutral as usually.

She responded into the T-Com in a cracked tone, "Raven. What is it that you need?"

"Starfire? We're just now head for Gotham General, but Batman's tracked your signals back at the Clock Tower. What's happening?"

Gotham General Hospital had been where the two Titans left Beast Boy off for further care, but it seemed that the Dark Knight and Raven were going to pick him up. "We have just arrived at the Clock Tower and have discovered Lucius Fox incapacitated on the floor. The villain, Red X, has escaped his bondage!"

"Starfire, has Robin went after him yet?" The voice of Batman asked her. The Tamaran girl replied no and the older hero started addressing her boyfriend, "Robin, listen to me. There's a device in the Armory that will let you track Red X's Xenothium trail. Use it and _find _him."

The com went silent and Star looked up at the former Boy Wonder. Stooped over, Robin held his head down as he edged his fingers across metal table. Then in a huff, the leader Titan twisted around and rushed to another conjoining room to the larger one. When he returned, Robin held small rectangular device in his balled fist and gazed at Starfire with a tighten brow. He was not looking at her, the girl could see, but at Red X with fiery eyes. "Robin...I will stay with Lucius Fox." She told the angry boy, to which he nodded slowly in response. "Please, love Robin! Do not get hurt... ..." He said nothing and after staring into Starfire's gaze, he quietly left.

"I couldn't...I couldn't... !" Fox started to relate in the alien girl's arms after Robin had went. Star tried to ease the man's whoas as he rambled, "I'm sorry...I couldn't stop... ..._them_...!"

* * *

The rain stung ex-Boy Wonder's skin as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, leaping distance gaps between buildings. It was all too familiar to him, like a memory or even a dream. The Dark Knight and Robin had spent many sleepless nights prowling the shadows of Gotham's highest reaches. Now he was alone as he chased his great rival across the dark city, no Batman or Batgirl leaping along with him. No _Jason_, either. The boy shook his head, focusing on the mission instead. Red X was the mission and the rogue was _not _going to escape this time. Stopping to look at the Xenothium-tracker, Robin deciphered the readings on it and came up with the trail moving northwest, towards old Gotham. Pulling out his grapple gun from his utility belt, the Titan shot a line into a nearby gargoyle and let gadget fling him up to the stone edifice. The boy was getting socked from the storm, but he forced his body to continue moving up the building and across to the next. The rain left most of Gotham City blanketed in a haze, but Robin knew the dark-deco metropolis like the back of his hand and it's rooftops were his second home.

Leaping from one particular high building, the Titan redirected his body and landed with a roll on next rooftop. It brought back the memories of his original home, soaring on the trapeze with his family. The Flying Graysons, gliding through the air like robins through the trees as they performed their act. But on their last act, gravity had finally caught up with Graysons, and Dick wasn't far behind them. If it wasn't for Bruce, he would have falling as well, but not from the trapeze. As Robin, he had felt he could fly as high as the sun and his troubles seemed all behind him. However...gravity was inescapable, and the boy was brought down to earth by another death in the family. Robin was close now, and by Xenothium-tracker readout, his prey was only a short ways off. The former Boy Wonder jumped and grabbed a flagpole on the side of a building. Shifting his body back and forth, he flung himself around the flagpole to store up momentum, then let go and soared up to tall rooftop and grabbed it's edge.

Reaching his destination, Robin lifted himself up and leapt over in a roll. Coming up right, he brought two Birdarangs in the ready for the fight, the he spotted a figure at the other side of the roof. As this person turned, the leader Titan blinked in bewilderment "_Slade_?!" Robin related in surprise.

"Hello, Robin." The villain addressed the confused boy, "It's nice to see you well... "

* * *

"Who's Slade?"

Cyborg twisted his head around and blinked at Batgirl as she continued to work on his damaged body atop her workbench. She had taken the cybernetic Titan to some underground location, not unlike a sewer, but without the smell. The female sidekick had removed most of his abdominal coverings to get to the slugs lodged in his circuits. As she worked, Cy recounted some of his stories fighting crime in Jump City and the evil diabolical criminal mastermind had come up a few times. "He's one of the baddest dudes we know!" The Titan replied to Batgirl, "I'm surprised you haven't heard about him before. I'd thought that Robin..would have... ..." His sentence trailed off in silence as he watched the girl's features pull down in a frown and her shoulder tightened up. Cyborg sighed, "Sorry. I wasn't thinking..."

Noticeably forcing a big smile, Batgirl affirmed, "No, it's okay. We've haven't heard from Robin for _so_ long and there seems to a new criminal mastermind behind every rock. So...I don't blame him for not telling us about him."

"I wish that knew what made him so stubborn." Cy declared as he shook his head. His mouth sneered as he thought about his friends behavior, not only in Gotham, but back home as well. "I mean, I get the whole angst part. With watching his parents die and all..that would mess up _anybody_. But it's like, he thinks the whole world's going after him and the only thing he can do is push back."

"...He wasn't always like that, you know... ..." Gazing over to the girl, the Titan watched as she leaned back a little on the stool she sat upon. "Robin managed his pain, before. He'd joke around and laugh, do stupid things that made me giggle. He and Batman were the _greatest _team of any other superheroes I've met... but things changed."

"What _changed_?" The cybernetic Titan inquired, reach for the truth on the matter. "I know who Robin really is; Dick Grayson, a circus acrobat and the son in the Fly Graysons. Batman and Bruce Wayne took him in after his parents death, then the B-dude trained him to be Robin... But, are you saying that something happened to him _after_ he became Robin?"

"There was...a death in the family."

"_Who's _death?"

She stared right at Cyborg for a moment and uttered, "The _second_ Robin's..."

%^&%^&

"It is nice to see you..." Slade said to the former Boy Wonder, his hands clasped behind his back in stoic pose as rivers of rain poured off his person. "But I wasn't expecting to meet you so soon." Robin growled and launched one of his Birdarangs at the evil mastermind, but Slade easily knocked it away with his wrist guard. Throwing his second Birdarang for him, the leader Titan rushed for diabolical criminal. Slade duck the whirling weapon and sent a round-house kick at the charging boy. Flipping over the kick, Robin thrust his hands down and sprung off of Slade's helmeted head, sending the villain stumbling foreword a few steps as the Titan landed in a fighting pose. "Ahh...Very good, Robin." the evil mastermind related, twisting about to meet him, "Off-setting my balance _and_ pushing distance between your opponent and yourself... You've _improved_!"

"Let me show you just how much!"

Leaping for the diabolical criminal, the Titan shot out his leg in a kick for the man. Slade ripped his arms up and blocked his boot, then the boy jumped back and sent a fury of punches, chops, and kicks at the villain. The evil mastermind was able to dodge and counter some, but enough hit Slade's vital points to wear him down. Striking him with a double palmed chest pound, the diabolical criminal fell back and hit the ground with a painful grunt. With a snicker, Slade crawled back up and stood hunched over with a hand grasping his side, then he addressed the ex-Boy Wonder. "Well done, Robin! Very well done!...but I can still get the better of you..." Lifting up his palm, the villain revealed Robin's Xenothium-tracker. "You have to be careful of pickpockets in the big city."

The leader Titan growled at Slade, once more, then charged for him again. The evil mastermind met his with shift jab, but Robin duck under it and whirled his outstretched legs, sweeping Slade's feet from under him. The villain was back up with a leap as the former Boy Wonder rolled away. Quickly pulling out another Birdarang and line, the boy launched it for the diabolical criminal before he know what was coming. Spinning around Slade's forearms, the line wrapped tight and secured his limbs together as Robin tugged on the rope. "It's over, Slade! Right here and right now..." The Titan proclaimed, "Before you and Red X have chance to do whatever you're planning!"

"My boy...Red X doesn't want a _thing_ to do with me... let only any of my plans." Just as Robin was about to reply, the taunt line in his hands snapped and caused him to stumble back. Looking down, the boy's brow tighten as he saw the red-cross shuriken that sliced his line and he turned his sight to where it's owner stood. "It took you long enough." Slade said to the rogue. Red X didn't respond, remaining still and unusually stiffer than how the ex-Boy Wonder remembered him being. The evil mastermind continued to address X, "I almost expected you to run the first chance you got. It gives my hope of _renewing_ our partnership!"

"_Partnership_?!" Uttered the bewildered Robin. Being a forced apprentice of Slade, the Titan never figured Red X would bare a moment under the villain's dark mentorship. The rogue was a free-spirit, but the diabolical criminal was an iron-willed taskmaster. Staring over to X, the boy saw no motion or sign that he disagreed with Slade and the evil mastermind didn't seem to be lying. Robin turned to the villain, "What are you getting at, Slade?! What's your plan?!"

"My plan?" Slade shook his head and crossed his arms, "My plan is to make sure you two hang onto your _souls_."

"What?!"

"We all have our course to follow, Robin... But there are those who'd _divert _that path. Like trout swimming up stream, it's hard enough without somebody getting in our way... but they still show up and put in _nets_.

Suddenly, Red X voiced shot into the conversation, "What are you driving at, old man?"

Slade looked to the young rogue, his one eye smiling, and announced to the two costumed youths, "Beware _Dr. Daka_, boys... ..." The diabolical criminal twisted around dashed for edge of the rooftop, then leapt from it and out of sight. Robin ran to the roof edge, but the villain was gone. Turning to Red X, the Titan found that the rogue had disappeared, as well, and he was left alone on the top of the building. The storm blow rain even harder onto him as former Boy Wonder wrapped his cape around his body and thought of Slade's cryptic message. Who was Dr. Daka and why was the evil mastermind afraid of him?

_And why are Slade and Red X helping each other?_ Robin silently pondered.

%^&%^&

Barbara stared into the complex circuitry of her cybernetic friend's abdomen, gently digging her long tweezers into the wiring mesh for the .45 slug deep within. The vicious Black Mask handgun blasted six times into Cy's stomach and it had taken her nearly an hour to pull five of the slugs out. As the girl pushed her tool deeper, Batgirl shot a glance to Cy's face. The Titan was staring up at her lair's ceiling, filled with dozens of water-pipes that intersected through the chamber. Batman had discovered this old underground pumping station in disuse beneath Barbara's apartment complex and fixed it up for her. The sidekick's personal lair, one could say. She felt the tweezers squeeze around another slug, the last one if the girl had counted right. With a tempered tug, Batgirl pulled the bullet from the cybernetic Titan's wire-filled belly and held the slug up to eye level. "And that's all she wrote." She said as she showed Cy the bullet.

Cyborg smirked and replied, "Great! I starting feel like I'm catching a cold here."

"Oh! Right!" Barbara hastily replaced the Titan's abdominal plating and refastened the metal pieces. With his coverings back on, Cy sat up on the workbench and slowly swung his feet of the edge. The girl inquired about his damage, "Are you sure that you can repair the rest of it yourself?"

"Believe me...I've patched myself up on a _weekly_ basis!"

A torch-tool transfigured from Cyborg's finger and the Titan began fixing the gaping bullet holes in his plating. He had told Barbara that his internal systems would mend themselves, another of the wonders her friend's cybernetics could do. _But Cy's a lot more wonderful and amazing by himself_, Batgirl mused to herself. Cyborg looked up at her and smiled, turning the girl's insides to goo. She turned down to the workbench to avoid the Titan from see her blush, focusing on the six projectiles she'd pulled from Cy. She blinked, suddenly notice something off about one of the slugs. Picking the bullet up and turning it between her fingers, her eyes catching an odd seam along it's surface. "Hey! Look at this..." Barbara related as she handed Cyborg the projectile.

The Titan studied the slug, holding it up to his electronic eye to scan the projectile. "Yeah! That's weird...my sensors say it's heavier than the standard forty-five ACP."

Taking the bullet back, Batgirl took a screw-driver from her kit and pried apart the slug by the seam. "Wow... ..." Split apart, the projectile held some of the smallest integrated circuitry Barbara had every seen. Examining the electronics, she said to Cy, "It almost looks like a..._homing beacon_?"

"Who would-"

The cybernetic Titan's words were lost, however, as a one of the lair's walls blow apart in a deafening explosion. A heart-beat past, then Batgirl and Cyborg turning the workbench over as the Titan prepared his Sonic Cannon and the girl a Batarang. Several men stormed into the chamber, brandishing high powered carbines at the two and taking firing positions. Barbara looked to each of them, all dressed in black with tactical masks and gear. The still smoldering hole in the wall soon produced another. Calm and dressed in a dark business suit, the Asian-ethnic man addressed them. "Hello, there! It gives me great please to introduce myself to you... ... I am Doctor Muhammad Pembunuh _Daka_... ..."

* * *

Author's Note: Who is Dr. Daka? I'll tell you what he **isn't**, total made up! Yeah, he's a Batman serial villain that I'm tweaking for my story.

Read & Review, folks.


	7. Chapter 7

Note: It's been awhile, but here I am! I'll try to work more and not get distracted. Read & Review!

* * *

If there was one thing an organic heart and a synthetic equivalent had in common was how hard they pumped when in high stress situations. It was surely beating rapidly at this moment, thumping like a jackhammer against the cybernetic Titan's chest plate. First, there was the explosion that sent a shock through Cyborg. Then, the troop of thugs that filed in and held them at gun-point. Batgirl and he had just barely barracked themselves behind large wooden workbench as the gunmen came in. With his Sonic Canon readied, Cy stood his ground beside his short-term partner and studied each of the goons. They were geared for a fight, one that the girl and he were prepared to give them, but it would be difficult in the confines of Batgirl's sewer lair. Cyborg looked to the gaping hole the gunmen made with their explosion, then blinked as someone else came walking in through it. "Hello there! It gives me great please to introduce myself to you.. I am Doctor Muhammad Pembunuh Daka..." The stranger announced greeting the two. He was an Asian man, though not Chinese and definitely looking middle-aged, with a long ponytail. The Titan noted his black, pinstriped suit that made he seem so out of placed along side the dark tactical uniforms of the gunmen. Daka folded his hands behind his back and continued addressing Cyborg and Batgirl, "I would safe it to bet that you didn't expect to be discovered here, in this secret refuge..."

"It does ruining the whole _secret_ thing, you mentioned." The girl retorted with an edged smirk. Cy couldn't help, but smile at her cheeky sarcastic tone.

"Believe me, my child, I am as surprised to see you here as you no doubtingly are to seeing me! I was hoping to meet _someone _else here, however, my efforts lead me to the pair of _you_."

"Well, I guess we all make mistakes..." Cyborg related as he eyed a gunman shifting himself closer to the two. "Maybe we can all _put away_ our bloom-sticks and go our separate ways."

"I beg your pardon, my friends...but I'm afraid that it just can not be done." Daka waved his finger and his goons leveled their rifles to fire. "You've seen too much, thus I can't allow you to continue _living_."

"Hey! Thrust us, well you!" The Titan replied with an anxious grin, "I promise, we'll forget this whole thing happened and go on our way."

The man smirked at the two and shook his head, no. Cyborg made a big sigh and prepared himself for what was about to come. Rearing back his foot, the cybernetic Titan kicked the workbench with all of his might and knocked it to the wall. The few gunmen in it's path were plowed down as Cy and Batgirl took care of the rest. Soon, however, more of the thugs came rushing in as Dr. Daka quietly disappeared through the gaping hole. Bullets started to fly past their heads as the Titan blasted one more goon with sonic. "_Run_!" He exclaimed to the girl, and they both booked it to the exit as Cyborg provided covering fire. Dashing through the sewers, the two soon heard the gunmen chasing after them as small bursts from their carbines blow apart bits of wall around them. Batgirl, suddenly, grabbed his hand and pulled Cy around a corner. As she leaded the Titan through the twisting maze, Cyborg checked his map of the city's sewage system and discovered something about the where the sidekick was taking them. "Where going back to the lair!"

"Trust me!" Batgirl replied as they ran, huffing a little as she spoke, "I know what I'm doing!" As the two rounded another corner, they quickly skidded to a halt as one of the thugs appeared before them holding a _big_ gun. "Okay...maybe I don't know what I'm doing."

The gunman blinked at the two from behind his tactical masked and seemed to freeze in place. Cyborg figured that he didn't expect them to be doubling back to the lair, but was told to stand guard their anyway. The goon's hesitation ceased as he collected himself and flung his large weapon at around to the two . The cybernetic Titan recognized the death-implement as quickly as he saw it resting it against the gunman's hip. A Winchester P94 turbo plasma caster, a serious high-tech piece and deadly weapon. As blue plasma bolt started to glow at the mussel of the large gun, Cyborg ripped up his Sonic Canon arm and shot a blast towards the thug, but the sonic waves crashed against a gold energy barrier just as they were about to strike him. The goon laugh at the failed attack and fired hot plasma at Batgirl and Cy as the two duck for cover. "Greh! The guy's got some kind of force-field protecting him!" The Titan related as he pulled around the corner he was hiding behind and blasted the gunman again. The sonic attack failed like the first and Cy cursed as stream of plasma bolts burst past him.

Looking over to Batgirl on the other corner of the sewer passageway, Cyborg saw her rummaging through her utility belt. She was no doubtingly going to use some amazing gadget that will suck the air from around the gunman or freeze his arms together. Finding what she was searching for, Batgirl pulled out a short plastic pipe-like item and placed a fuzzy-tailed dart into one of it. "I only got one shot, so cover me!" The girl said to Cy.

The cybernetic Titan shook his, but transformed his arm into his Canon anyhow. "You're going to need a lot more than a dart-gun to brake through that force-field!" Batgirl ignored his words and rush out from behind the wall corner. Cyborg barely had time to fire before the girl was halfway to the goon, but luckily her dash had taken the thug be surprise, too. The Titan's sonic attacks washed over the gunman harmlessly as the sidekick continued to move closer, then the goon blasted a plasma bolt at her. Ducking under the screaming hot plasma, Batgirl rolled forward and crutch up with the dart-gun up to her lips. She blew and sent the one dart soaring through the air, hitting the gunman right in the neck. The thug stumped back, drop his plasma caster and clenching his fingers around the dart. Then he fell, his head striking the ground with a thud. "Well, alright then... ..." Cy thought aloud.

Cyborg walked out from behind his cover and stared at the fallen goon in bewilderment. "It was an old Zero Model force-field projector." Batgirl declared to the Titan, returning her dart-gun to the utility belt. "It uses the energies of whatever flying at it to power it and deflect the attack. However, slower moving objects can penetrate since they don't have enough kinetic energy to power the force-field."

The cybernetic Titan had to ask, "How'd you know it was a Zero Model? You couldn't even see it on him as far as we were."

"I just guessed."

He smacked his head in frustration of Batgirl's recklessness, knowing full well that a newer force-field projector could have easily stopped the dart. Cy was about to relate as much to the girl, when suddenly the sound of voices bounced from along the sewer walls, getting louder with each second. The gunmen were closing in on them -or just seeing what all the noise was about- and they would soon be upon them. Batgirl grasped Cyborg once more and she lead him back to her lair. The chamber was empty, with the lone heavily armed and heavily knockout goon being the only one guarding the place. The girl wasted no time as she rushed to computer terminal and began punching in commands. As she typed, Cy watched the exits, though he wondered why they were taking the time to do this. He could here the gunmen getting louder and closer, it would only be a matter of time until they reach the lair. "Whatever you're doing, B-girl, could you do it faster?!" Cyborg anxiously inquired.

"We can't let them have anything in the lair. It might lead them back to the Clock Tower or even the _Batcave_!"

"So you're wiping the drives?"

"I'm wiping _everything_... " The sidekick entered one last command and her terminal started to blink red. Sirens and whistles begin to call as what was once an innocent looking box in the lair's corner, opened up to reveal a large _bomb_! The timer was set for ten seconds and was already ticking down to zero. Batgirl waved to Cy to follow her as she ran to naked wall and spoke to it, "Verification; Barbara G., eight-three-one-one!"

"Verification; confirmed." An electronic voiced replied as the wall split apart and revealed an stainless steel elevator.

"Come on! Quick!"

The cybernetic Titan didn't need to be told twice as he squeezed into the elevator with Batgirl. Just as the doors closed and the lift was move up it's shift, the two heard a thundering boom from under them that shook the whole elevator. Cyborg and the girl both leaned against the lift's sides and slid down them in exhaustion as they waited to reach their destination. Batgirl was panting when the Titan looked over to her, though probably from all the adrenaline they kicked up. Cy felt bad about her lair, especial since the homing device was in the slug that she pulled out of him. It was a weird type of guilt, but it was guilt all the same. "I'm sorry your secret hideaway got blown up..." He related with a sheepish smile.

She gazed up to Cyborg and laughed, "Heh...I never really like the place, myself. It always smelled like crap... no matter how many air-fresheners I brought down."

The elevator came to a stop and dinged that they had arrived to their floor. Batgirl stood up slowly and exited the lift, Cy following behind her as they walked into a small room without any light-source of it's own. As the elevator doors closed, they were left in darkness until one of the walls opened up to a larger conjoining room. As Cyborg stepped across a soft looking off-white carpet, he survey the place and everything inside. A long bed caught his eyes first, with deep purple spread and cream-colored iron headboard. It stood against a lime green painted wall and next to it, a green and blue striped wall with a white mirror and vanity attached to it. A dresser sat next to a closet, both holding clothes, and a window showed the darkness of Gotham's sky. Turning around, the Titan saw Batgirl uncovering a secret control panel and closed the swung out wall with it to reveal a computer desk and a few band posters on another lime green wall. Cyborg lift his voice to say something, but all he uttered was, "AAhhhhh..." as the girl removed her masked and waved her fingers through her hair.

She walked up to Cy and offered her hand, declaring up to him with grin, "I'm Barbara Gordon, by the way... ..."

* * *

The R-Cycle pulled to a halt and the soaking-wet Robin slowly lifted himself off of the bike. The roads were rivers from the storm, conjoining streets their tributaries as the leader Titan rode through them. His uniform held buckets of rain in it and his mask barely stuck to his face as he removed his helmet. The ex-Boy Wonder's hair hung around his face in dark stringy strands pulling over his vision. As Dick removed his Robin mask, he took his gloved hand and slicked his hair back out of his eyes as he watched the bats soar around the rocky stalactites. How long had it been since he was last in the Batcave...a year or a century? It had to be something in-between, though, Dick didn't remember. It was all in the distant past and leader Titan had new life to think about, one with his own team. His friends, who loved and respected him as he with them. Dick's return to Gotham, however, was bringing together ancient history and recent history right side by side in their own little basket. The cave was cool as it usually was, not too cool, but cool enough to annoy the already wet Titan.

As Dick rung out his cape, he caught sight of someone he definitely missed since he left Gotham...at least when he was cleaning his room. "A spot of tea, Master Dick?" Alfred inquired as he carried a silver tray with tea pot and cup. Bruce Wayne's trusted butler and closest friend, Alfred Pennyworth had served the family since before the birth of Batman or Bruce. Always helping, always faithful, the Dark Knight said he was a blessing from his father. The trusted butler placed the tray on a nearby table and started to pour some tea. "It has been such a long time, sir, that I could not remember if you did or didn't take lemon with tea."

Alfred took the cup with it's saucer over to the former Boy Wonder who gladly excepted the hot beverage. "It's perfect, Alfred." Dick replied and sipped his tea. The heat felt lovely against his cold lips, like a deep kiss from his girlfriend. Then he remembered, "I almost forgot...I didn't tell my friends I'd be coming here. They'll be expecting me back at the Clock Tower."

"Ah..You needn't worry, Master Dick." The trusted butler started to relate, "Master Bruce has already called ahead and wished you to know that he has everything under control."

"*Sigh*...as usual... ..."

Alfred frowned, "You mustn't blame him, Mas-"

"No, Alfred." Dick said with raised hand, cutting the man off. He sighed and apologized to Alfred, "I'm sorry...it's been a _long_ night."

"Quite alright..Master Dick." He place his hand on the Titan's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze as smiled at him. Dick knew the trusted butler was breaking much of his protocol by doing this, as it was the close he could come to embrace the boy. Alfred took the tea cup and started direct the ex-Boy Wonder to the elevator leading up to the Wayne Manor, though Dick knew the way by heart. "Shall I prepare a shower for you, sir."

"Thanks, Alfred. That would be _great_."

The hot water washed over Dick's chilled flesh, relaxing his muscle from a busy night. The high-pressure heads were strategically placed around the roman-styled shower so they could hid the Titan in all the right places. It was the best that money could buy, like most things in the Manor. As Dick ended his wash, he found a fluffy towel and a change of clothes on the sink counter as provided by Alfred. The man always thought ahead. The clothes fitted the leader Titan fairly well and as he slid on the long-tee shirt, the boy started to remember what was like to just be a normal teen. The peace of it all, just knowing that he didn't have to be _on_ all the time lifted a weight off his shoulders. Dick surveyed each room he pasted as he walked down the Manor's halls, thinking about his days living in the lap of luxury. Being Robin wasn't any easy back then, either, but the boy had all this to look forward to when he came home. That is...it was what Dick had _told_ himself to look forward to. Wayne Manor was as empty now as it was back in his Boy Wonder days. As the Titan continued to explore his old home, he realized just how much he had gained by leaving Bruce and Gotham City. However, somehow, he couldn't help feeling guilty.

Pacing through the giant mansion, Dick came upon the study of Dr. Thomas Wayne, now Bruce's private study. The large oak double-doors were opened enough to peer into the room and see the many shelves of books. As the boy pushed one of the doors further in, he blinked when he found his former mentor in civilian-wear sitting behind massive antique desk. The older hero must of returned to the manor when Dick was in the shower. Bruce didn't seem to notice the leader Titan as his focused stare remained on the desk's top. Of course, Dick assumed that it was just the man keeping his stoic poise. As the boy walked over Bruce, his eye caught sight of something very off. It was something that he never thought he would see in his life, something that Bruce Wayne would never be holding. Though, there the man was...holding a _gun_.

"Bruce?"

Dick's voice pierced the silence of the room and his ex-mentor shot his head up right at him. Blinking again in bewilderment, the Titan was surprised to see a simular look cross Bruce's features, if only for a moment. "How long have you been standing there." He related to Dick, almost with a defensive tone, as he quickly placed the revolver in a desk drawer. The leader Titan didn't reply as he couldn't stop his mind from whirling, so Bruce went on himself, "If you're wondering about my mental health, I can tell that I'm not planning on suicide."

The boy shook his head and responded, "I couldn't ever imagine you'd do that... ..."

A deep, quiet lull was caste between the two as former mentor and old student watched each other. Bruce then uttered to the Titan, "I guess we all have our keepsakes from our _pasts_, Dick."

Like a ton of bricks, it hit the boy and he felt horrible. The gun, Dick realized, was the _gun_. It was the weapon that struck down Thomas and Martha Wayne in a dark alley as their son watched. In a sense, it was what birth the Batman and, later on, Robin as well. The former Boy Wonder was all too familiar with obsessing over that one terrible day. One of the failed links that were sabotaged and lead to Dick's parents deaths was in the boy's pack even now, as he rarely went too far without the keepsake. That connection to the pain, the fuel that can drive one, was important part of being a crimefighter. Dick also understood that such pain wasn't truly needed to be a hero, but it sure helped.

"I've been reviewing some of the evidence gathered..." Said Bruce as he stood up and left the previous subject behind. Taking a manila folder off his desk, he handed them to Dick as he continued, "Each Farmers National bank vault was emptied of it's funds and a large hole was found in the floor of each."

Dick opened the folder and found a few photographs of the vacant bank vault shelves and the cavernous holes. "So, it looks like they tunneled into the vaults from underneath and stole the money while we fought the fall-guys outside."

"Maybe... There was also something else at the bottom of each hole." His ex-mentor gave the Titan a sheet of paper, still hot from the printer, and went on to explain what he meant. "There was canister in each hole, that was set to release a gas by trip-wire. The Mad Hatter had the misfortune of tripping one and it resulted in him become a laughing, raving lunatic."

"You mean, even more than he was, already." The boy examined the sheet that read something about the side-effects of a chemical called, "_Ridearsarin_? A chemical weapon? Shorthand exposure produces... _hysteria_."

"I know what you're think... the _Joker_."

"Right, but something's not right about it. The whole set-up is all is all wrong for him."

Bruce nodded in agreement, "Not only that, but the Joker has his own, unique recipe for his gas weapons. He'd view using this in his crimes as some type of low point."

"You're thinking it's another trick to throw us off the trail." Dick scanned over the paper about the Ridearsarin gas. It was cheaply produced chemical weapon from the Cold War, available on the black markets to anyone with the cash. Not much of a lead to follow, to which the boy related to the old hero, "We could be after _anyone_..."

To this, however, Dick's former mentor shook his head no, "Not anyone... Someone who has the power to manipulate the whole of Gotham's underworld... ..."

* * *

Cyborg gazed down on the flickering screen on his forearm and listen to the image of Raven as she spoke, "So, he just came out of no where...and kicked your butts?"

"Hey! _We_ kicked plenty of butts ourselves, thank you very much!" The moody Titan's icy flat stare said that she didn't find Cy too convincing. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, taking a second to glance at Barbara working on her laptop at the desk. Dressed in a simple dark blue shirt and yoga pants, the cybernetic Titan would had never have guessed that she was really Batgirl if she hadn't revealed it to him. That had begged the question...why had she? Cy turned his attention back to Raven, "How's BB doing?"

"Sleeping for now..." His teammate replied, "But I can only hope the blessing last's. He's doing better than Fox, however. Red X did a number on him... Starfire hasn't left his side since she found him."

"Alright. Keep me posted. Cyborg, out."

Shutting off his communicator, the Titan released an audible sigh as the feeling of helplessness washed over him. He'd never thought Gotham was going to be cake walk, but he never they'd have two men down in under twenty four hours. Cyborg wondered how the ex-Boy Wonder had endured it all on a daily basis, or how Batgirl had either. Even now, after being attacked by a dozen gunmen and blowing up half the sewers under her apartment building, she sat peacefully humming in her own little world. Cy watched the girl as continued typing away on her computer like normal teenager her age would after coming home from school. It was perplexing to the cybernetic Titan to see sheer duality of Barbara's life, to jump from crimefighting to homework like it was nothing. It also _fascinated _him. She could do what he could never, be a regular person. To be able to sit her room, stare in the mirror, and not be reminded that she was different. If Cyborg had chance, just a moment of normalcy, he wondered if ever could go back to being less human. This girl, though, choose to go back every night.

Twisting her head to face the Titan, Barbara blinked at Cy. "What'd you thinking about?" She asked him, her ruby lips turning up in sly smile.

"Jus..Ahhh...About the mission!" He stuttered over the words. The Titan quickly recollected himself as he crossed his arms and coughed to disguise his stumble. "Were you able to come up with anything?"

"Not really.." The girl related as she turned around to the laptop. Cyborg moved closer and watched over her shoulder as Barbara continued to work. "Started with a simple search of this Dr. Daka guy on GCPD's criminal database and then ones nation-wide. They had nothing. Interpol did have number of warrants on a Dr. Muhammad Pembunuh Daka..but they were taken down and any information on him went with them."

"So what are you trying now?"

"I'm... ... hacking into... the CIA..."

"WHAT?!" The cybernetic Titan slapped his hand down and shut the laptop before Barbara could finish, going on to exclaim, "What do you think you're doing?! That's the US's most closely guarded secrets! If they catch us, we'll be black-bagged and locked up in some deep underground prison full of terrorists and tax evaders!"

The girl eyed Cyborg with one of her edged smirks, relating, "Don't tell me you're afraid of _Big Government_."

"No, not of Big Government..just freakishly-well-armed Government! You know what they did to the Green Arrow after he forgot to turn in his tax return. The fool is still picking up trash on the side of the road on the weekends!"

"*Sigh..It'll be fine! I know what I'm doing." Lifting her laptop back open, Barbara began a fierce storm of typing, punching in command after command. Her screen erupted with windows full of complicated coding, until a confirming note rung and announced the girl's success. Suddenly the screen turned black as the word's 'Access Denied' flashed in the crimson red. Cy gasped, already believing he could hear the black helicopters coming for them. However, after a second or two the red words faded away and the bright green letters spelling 'Access Granted' appeared on the screen. "That's more like it!" Barbara declared with a grin and the cybernetic Titan just glared at her. Navigating through the database of state secrets, Cy's temporary partner brought up a long list of hyperlinks with the names of some big time evil-doers. Half way down the list, they'd found him. "Here he is. Pembunuh Daka...born in Indonesia into a wealth family with ties with the ruling elite. Seems he converted to a extremist strain of Jihads while in med-school, where they shipped him off to a terrorist training camp for number of years. After that he appeared all over the place! Help armed militias in Somalia... fought in a the Albania civil war... was involved in the embassy bombing in Tanzania...it just keeps going on and on like that."

"Wow... this Daka guy sounds like one serious customer. But, why would he be slumming around in Gotham's sewers?"

The girl shook her head as she wondered the same thing. Scanning through Daka's info, Barbara suddenly related, "Wait..here! It's the last thing in his entry and-" She stop abruptly, however, when they both heard the sound of a door opening in the next room. The girl quickly close her computer and moved to her bedroom door, cracking it open enough to see past it. Her eyes stretched as wide as softballs when she looked back of Cyborg, whispering, "It's my _Dad_!"

"Great... ..."

* * *

With the last remnants of the storm gone, Gotham's streets were allowed some peace in late hours of the night. Breaking the calm, a lone car traveled through the empty city, diving from the light of a streetlamp to darkness as made it's journey. Sitting in silence, Black Mask watched the dark deco metropolis roll past his window as he puffed on a thin cigar. His mind was recalling his failed bank heist, the sheer stupidity of it. How had he every thought it would work? Just the mobster and a few his boys against every cop in the city...not to mention Bat-freak and his annoy brats. Even without the robo-hero, those good for nothing do-gooder kids alone were large thorn in Gotham Underworld's side as created by the Batman. And to try to knock over a Farmers' bank, too! Every crook worth his wit knew that Farmers National was the mob's private piggy bank, it was suicide to try to look at one funny. It was like he couldn't restrain himself, the crimelord just had a thirst that wouldn't be quench until he robbed Farmers National on corner of Apple and Beaver. As Black Mask's car turned past the last bend to the journey's end, the villain in the backseat took a hard drag on his cigar and pondered just what the hell was going on in Gotham.

The back door opened and the masked crimelord pulled his body, as well as his wondering mind, out into the cool night air. Their destination was a run-down, old pier on Gotham Bay, lined with rows of abandon warehouses. It was a fairly common meeting place between for the city's gangs and miscreants...and of course crack-whores and pimps. It was **disgusting **place. Black Mask pulled on his long, pinstriped trench-coat as his boys and he promenaded up the pier, ignoring the wretches begs to give themselves to crimelord. One the drug-up losers even called him '_**Mr.**_ Black Mask', as though her polite soliciting would win the villain over. She was quickly tossed aside by one of boys and the masked crimelord proceeded on, not bashing an eye as he heard the whore screamed into the waters of the bay. None of the other wretches came to solicit the villain after her.

Reaching the far warehouse, Black Mask covered his nose with his hand as one of his boys banged on the metal door. The whole place smelt of vomit and cat urine! The villain speedily yanked his handkerchief from dual-breasted suit jacket and pulled it over his mouth and nostrils before anymore the reek touch them. _What a place for a mob meeting_, Black Mask head whirled as he looked down the piece of paper in his other hand. It read that there was meeting between the bosses at Gotham's pier, in warehouse 312, set in the wee hours of the morning. It was the crimelord's first **true **invite to Mafia boss's meeting, whereas others had simply been the muzzle of his Tommy gun. It was his chance to prove his place in the Gotham's Mob, as a crime boss, and not one of the rejects that would like to be called, '_**super**_-villains.' Just a gaggle of super-_**freaks**_! This guys were the real big-leagues, where the big scores were done by mob goons and you just sat back to enjoy a scotch. He'd never be made-man, but Black Mask could scratch out something real good working with the **Families**.

The warehouse door opened and a nicely dressed mob goon walked out to meet the villain and his entourage. It only took a minute for the gorilla to see the crimelord and recognize who he was as the rogue smirked under his charred face. Everybody know who Black Mask was! The oaf moved aside without a word, letting the villain step into the warehouse and on into waiting bosses. The rusted walls of the building housed much more comfortable settings than the pier outside. Large Persian rugs, elegant leather chairs with ottomans, even a long bookcase to hide some of the ugliness of warehouse. The air was filled with smell of liquor and tobacco burning, a far cry from the cat urine and much more welcomed too. The bosses where scattered all around, some drink and some smoking, but they all where chatting like one big happy Mafia. It was giant farce, of course, as almost every criminal in there would have gladly wasted three others in the room hadn't there been an alliance in the Families. Batman had changed a lot of things after he showed up in Gotham. However, for better or worst, this was the city's mob...and Black Mask was one among them!

"Would you like a drink, sir?" A young, attractive girl asked the crimelord. She held up a tray of glasses and a bottle of expensive single malt whiskey. Black Mask shook his head no as he dropped the smoldering remnant of his cigar in one of the glasses, then shewed her away. A few more waitresses were wondering around the from boss to boss more trays of booze, a couple with hors d'oeuvres. The Families always lived as elites, it was no surprise to the villain that they would even turn a crime gathering into a dinner party. The yelp of one of the waitresses catch Black Mask's attentions and as he twist around he saw mobster Sal Maroni groping a girl as he made his way to the crimelord. Oh, how he hated Maroni... but that could be helped, since the villain had to play nice, else he'd contract a severe case of lead-poisoning from one the surrounding mob goons.

Maroni outstretched his arms violently, flinging some the liquor from his glass onto the rugs. The mobster was making as though he wanted to hug villain, but Black Mask knew better then that... "My ol' buddy, Sionis!" ... Maroni would first stab himself before touch the crimelord. Dropping his arms, the mob boss continued, "How've you been? How's you're mother?"

"Oh, see's happy back in the Ol' Folks' Home." Black Mask replied with a jaded tone. His mother was dead and buried 6-feet under, just where Maroni's hitmen put her, "Oh, hey! How's your wife's brother doing since the surgery?"

A big fake grin crossed Maroni's lips as related, "Well...we can't all survive a bombing, can we?" The fink jumped behind his brother-in-law just as Black Mask's 'wedding present' exploded.

"Any word on why the Families called this meeting and greet?" The villain inquired, not planning to trust a word from Maroni's mouth.

"Don't know. Might have something to do with three of our Farmers banks being cleared out... ..."

Had the crimelord not have his mask eternally locked over his face, the mobster would have seen the evident cringe over Black Mask's features. Three banks?! He had only remembered the one! Playing it cool, the villain retorted, "I would suppose that's something worth bringing everyone out..."

"Gentlemen! Gentlemen!" A voice from one of the mob bosses called over the room. It was Carmine 'The Roman' Falcone, a schmuck in a tailored suit, the self-proclaimed head of the Families, "I have called his meeting together, in agreeance with the bylaws of my truce with Luigi Maroni -may God rest his soul- so that we can talk of the latest turn of events."

"Let me tell you about the _latest turn of events_, Falcone!" This below came from the Rupert Throne, one the most influential non-Mafia family in Gotham and a fat pig. His underworld empire had grown so big that the Families had to except him in, or have massive turf-war engulf the city, "I had fifty million between the three banks that **you** said could never be knocked over! If I had any sense, Falcone, I'd pug you right here and take what that cost me from your hide!"

"Watch yourself, Throne!" Screamed back a Tough Tony Bressi, lower boss in the Falcone family, "Listen to me! I'll smash this, here bottle over your skull if you don't watch yourself!"

"Tony..." Carmine Falcone gasped the mobster's shoulder and took the wine bottle from his hand. He then had one of the waitresses pour a drink, telling Bressi to take it and shut-up. Falcone turned to Throne, "Forgive my nephew, he's hot-headed." The fat mobster smiled and puffed on a cigar, unfazed by younger mob boss's threats. Wiping a handkerchief across his forehead, Falcone went on to address the rest of the room, "Now, my friends, as to way I've assembled you all... perhaps if I hand the chair over to one who can explain why **all** of us are here so early this morning... ..."

The head mob boss turned as all the mobsters looked on to see a group of four appear from the shadows of the warehouse. Black Mask blinked as he saw who had been revealed, nearly grabbing his Colt from under his dual-breasted jacket before thinking better of himself. One of them he had never met before, but the last three...oh, those three he had such a loathing. The long Victorian grab around Penguin's plump and deformed body, the insane collection of greens and question marks of the Riddler, and the half pristine white and half burnt ruined suit of Two-Face... it was Two-Face the villain hated the most. The four man, the stranger with a long pony-tail, spoke to the mob bosses, "My, my! What a wonderful room of faces. Old, but...full of **potential**. If you do not have the pleasure of knowing, I am Dr. Muhammad Pembunuh Daka... the man who will give you Gotham."

* * *

Author's Note: I did use an energy weapon from the Fallout series, a great video game franchise that I'd suggest to anyone to checkout. R & R!


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: It's been too long, people. I should have been working harder to get this one to you, but was lazy... : ( Anyway, enjoy!

Read & Review!

* * *

The whirling grinds of giant gears push away the silence of the Clock Tower as the small hints of daylight drifted into the main room. Starfire knew it was late -or perhaps early- for her to be awake, but try as she might she could not slumber. She sat by Lucius Fox as he laid unconscious on the cot, his silver hair a mess against the pillow. He had yet to recover from the blows that Slade and Red X developed upon him during their escape, despite a lengthy treatment from Star's moody friend Raven. The green-skin Titan had been a simpler task, regaining his senses almost immediately after the magics had touched his head. Beast Boy's mouth quickly clamored to life, asking what had happened and if there was anything to eat around. To thus, Raven wondered out loud in announce whether she should have waited to repair their shape-shifter friend. The Tamaran girl giggled, happy to see her teammates acting as their usual selves. However, when the moody Titan turned her healing spells onto Fox, she found them less than capable. It had something to do with the older man's age and perhaps the fact that he was never a crimefigher. Lucius Fox just wasn't as tough as Batman or Beast Boy -though it pained Raven to admit that- he was just a normal human man. It amazed Starfire that earthlings could be so fragile of beings.

Now the Tamaran girl sat-up awake, her friends fast asleep from their event full night, as waited for her new older friend to regain consciousness. Guilt swept through the girl as she watch the unresponsive Fox, her selfish actions replaying in her mind. If the alien Titan hadn't stormed out, then she could have stayed with him to defend the Watch Tower. If she hadn't let her emotions take hold of her senses, Lucius Fox would not have been harmed and Red X would still be in their custody. After resolving things with her love Robin, Star felt horrible that their newest comrade would befallen because her childish behavior. Warm tears rolled from the Tamaran's well-up eyes down to her chin, make her cheeks wet. Try as she may to sniff her crying away, Starfire continue to weep until her vision clouded with water. The Titan was so enthralled with her cry that she missed the dark hand reaching up to grab her by the arm.

"Now, don't do that, deary." Lucius Fox said to the girl, his voice slightly hushed. He looked to Starfire and gave her a sleepy smile, "Here I was, waking up to such a pretty face and you had to let those awful tears ruin it for me."

The girl blinked for just a moment before plopping down to hug Fox's neck with a big grin. "Oh, my friend! You have recovered!" Star related with joy, though she restrained herself as not to wake her other comrades. However, she remembered how she originally caused the older man's injury and quickly pulled away from him. The Tamaran girl fought off the frown that try to tug down on her cheeks, putting up a sheepish smile and continued with audible guilt in her tone, "I am.. glad that you have return to a conscious state...and that your wounds did not prove to be fatal."

"Well, I'm pretty glad that didn't prove to be fatal, too. Ha!" Fox replied with cheerful snicker. The laugh sliced through Starfire's chest, tearing at her, though she did not think Lucius Fox meant it to bite at her. The Tamaran girl's pain must have been more evident than she thought, since the older man commented upon it, "Starfire..are you alright? Did I do something to upset you?"

"No, no! You have done nothing in the kind!" Star waved her arms about to signify her abjection. She ended her display and took a breath to recollect herself, but then her edges of her lids began to tear up again and her voice came out in more of a whimper. "I..I-I am the one that has done something to you... ... You would not have been injured so badly had I not left... ..."

"So let me get this right.. You think that **you're** responsible for what happened to me..hmm?" Lucius Fox seated himself upright and meet the girl in the eye, though with some effort. Tapping his finger against his chin, he asked Star, "Did you help Red X get free?"

"No, no! I had no doing with that..."

"So, you helped the man that knocked me around?"

"No, no!"

"Then, you held the door open to let them escape?"

"No! I promise you that if I had been here during what had transpired, I would have done everything I could to protect you and apprehend the villains!" Taking Fox's hand between two her own, the Tamaran girl gave her friend a sincere look with her teary face, "I ask of you, Lucius Fox, to please...**please** forgive my deeds against you. Please... "

The older man pulled his hand free from Starfire's grip and crossed his arms. The girl gasped as saw Fox shake his head no, "I'm afraid I can't do that, Starfire. You done **nothing **to require forgiving! I couldn't blame you, even if I lost my right foot along with Red X."

"But...If I had not left... If I had not become so infuriated with Robin, perhaps-"

"No, I won't hear it." Fox insisted as laid back down on the cot with a tired sigh. Starfire look down to her hands as they clenched, her insides feeling like an earth pretzel baked food. The older man must of sensed her disarray and said to her, "I remember when Robin first return to crimefighting...after the second Robin died... he was always hard on himself, too. Blaming himself for his death."

The Tamaran girl blink and turned to Lucius Fox, "There was **another** Robin?"

"Oh, yes. When he came, the Robin you know let him take his place. Then, I suppose, Robin tried to leave crimefighting behind him... However, the second Robin was killed by a madman and he took on the mantle of once again. I always wondered if he had done it because he felt partially to blame for his death."

Starfire hand covered her mouth as she looked to Fox in disbelieve. Not one, but **two** Robins! The girl never would have thought there could be another like her beloved ex-Boy Wonder. Her mind reeled from the whole concept of it, by her voice inquired something else, "Why would Robin believe he would be to blame?"

The old man scratched his neck and replied, "Well...I could only figure that it has something to do with you hero folks. Like a soldier or a firefighter, you feel like you have a duty. I guess Robin feels like someone else died in his place. 'Course, I've never been any of those things. I might be wrong."

Despite his expressed doubts, the alien Titan knew Lucius Fox's words were true. Tamaranian culture held personal duty higher than bravery and glory in combat. She, thus, felt that she failed in her duty when Fox was injured in her abstains. Star looked to her friends as they slept among the boxes of the main room. What would it have been like if Raven or Beast Boy had perished in battle because she was not there? Or perhaps Cyborg or Batgirl... ... or Robin...? What a horror Starfire's beloved must of gone through... but yet he found the strength to go on. However, Robin did not have the will to stay in Gotham. What made him leave when his cause seemed so just?

* * *

A US Army weapons depot. It was just outside of Gotham City, with just enough security around it to keep any sane person from thinking twice before breaking into the joint. To bad for the Army that the dark-deco metropolis wasn't just filled with the sane. Every now and then, someone sufficiently crazy would try to bust through the razor wire fences and heavily armed guards, usually dressed in some colorful costume or another. Of course, Dick was one to talk. These so-calmed-criminals would be turned away, taken into custody, or shot halfway across. Bruce, however, liked to keep any eye on the depot anyhow. The former Boy Wonder remembered the night when the two past by the Army depot on their way home. It was going to be a quick stop on their way back to the Batcave, Bruce said he wouldn't even bother getting out of the car if everything looked fine. Dick remembered, though, that everything didn't look fine. The guard station on the road leading to the depot was burning, soldiers laid strewn across the ground.

"Look's like we're going to have to burn the midnight oil, after all." The boy recalled himself saying. The Batmobile screamed down the depot's road, racing to reach thr military installation before whoever attack the guards got away. Reaching the army base, Batman and Dick jumped out the car and dashed through a large gap in the fences. The crooks had proceeded quiet far into the installation by the time they arrived, leaving a trail of devastation along the way. The ex-Boy Wonder looked to a body of soldier as he ran past. His face stared with dull eyes and a massive grin etched across his cheeks.

"Robin! Joker gas!" The Dark Knight proclaimed to his then partner. Dick wasted no time in retrieving his gas-mask and strapping it around his head. _So, it is the clown_, the boy remembered thinking, _We can finally nail that madman for what he did to Jason!_

He remembered how focused he was on that night, and how focused he was before that fateful circus performance the very night all those years before. Now, he laid awake in bed after returning Gotham city, after chasing Red X and meet Slade on the rooftops. Dick remembered the pain he felt that night, not just from Jason but from his parents deaths, too. He let it fuel him, like Bruce had taught him and molded him to be. It took him all this time to realize that on that night at the army depot, Robin was just another tool for Batman to use against the Joker. And when one was lost... there was another to take his place... like a batarang. Like a used condom. The boy's fist punched into the oak headboard of his bed, his knuckles bounced off the wood harmlessly and proved the bed's strong construction. The room where he laid was full of reminders of Dick's old life in Gotham, from civilian clothes he'd worn to the books he studied to edge his detective's mind. Much of it was here because much of it was borrowed from his own room a few rooms down. This was Jason's room he slept in... ...

* * *

Batcave was cold and dank, though Bruce never felt it as he toiled away on the Farmers Bank heists. The police had furthered their investigation into large holes burrowed into the bank vaults, finding tunnels leading into Gotham sewers. Photo's were taken and sent to GCPD databases back at Police Headquarters, where the Dark Knight had hacked into and was viewing them on the Main Computer. The 'Batcomputer' as Barbara enjoyed calling it, a highly advance piece of hardware that controlled the immense computer network lined throughout the Batcave, able to download information from various external databases including the GCPD's crime files. Each of the tunnel pictures appeared on the Main Computer's tall screen as a powerful image analysis software poured over the photos. There wasn't much to learn. The tunnels were made by industrial composite-beam laser, a new but relatively common mining technology that had flooded the market.

Gliding his finger across the touchpad, Bruce moved his cursor to the play-button of an audio file. The Batcomputer's speakers erupted with booming screech, like a dozen radiators running at once. The screech echoed throughout the cave around and around, until he click the audio to stop. This was the sound a composite-beam driller made as it would be heard from close proximity, about 61 decibels. It was much quieter than a jackhammer, but was hardly silent. _I'm glade that I installed extra layers of sound-proofing_, the cape crusader thought to himself as he rubbed his ears. It was early in the morning and everyone else was sleeping up stairs. Yes...**everyone**. Dick was back, and seeing him in the mansion in civilian cloths finally made Bruce come to terms about it. Somehow, he'd been indifferent to the boy in his Robin's uniform. It wasn't that unique of a custom, as many in the Justice League had wore similar colors and capes. Before he left the JLA, the Dark Knight would spend days on days interacting with mask after mask. It was easy to forget the individual behind the bit of fabric and Bruce had relied on such thinking in dealing with Dick. However, when his ex-partner appeared in the sanctum of his study, the old crimefighter's mind started to drift back to the old days... ...

Joker had just attacked an Army Depot on the outskirts of Gotham, Batman and Robin had stumbled upon the villain's onslaught while on routine patrol. Rushing onto the military base, the Dynamic Duo found the path of carnage leading deeper into the complex. Bruce remembered the faces of the soldiers, with eyes frozen with fear and teeth bare in unnatural grins. "Robin! Joker gas!" He recalled exclaiming to his partner back then. Bruce had drilled into the boy to quickly don his Field Protective Mask at the first sign of airborne toxins and to call out to his teammates if he were to find signs first. He had made sure that his ward was ready for every possibility that his life as Robin would throw at him. But Batman knew that there were somethings the Boy Wonder could never be trained for.

Coming onto a massive warehouse, the two burst in to meet what the dastardly clown was planning. Not exactly the most prudent of choices, Bruce reflected as he remembered the incident. Though, there was never much time to stop and think when the Joker was involved. Pushing through the doors, the Dynamic Duo were met with a few of the villain's hired goons. Surprised at first, one the thugs regained his sense and brought up his assault rifle to blast the heroes. However, Batman was quicker on the draw and hurled a batarang, knocking the muzzle up and sending the gun's burst harmlessly into ceiling. Before the other crooks could manage anything, themselves, Robin flung himself into them. One fell from a knee to the skull, another from a spinning jump-kick smashing across his cheek, and one more from series of quick jabs and punches to his vital points. The Dark Knight finished the last two off, introducing one punk's back to the floor and another one's face to a cement wall. In just a couple of seconds after the two ran through the doors, the heroes had dispatched a total of five of Joker's goons. That was only the beginning.

Bruce remembered the mad clown's laughter reverberating off the metal walls of the warehouse. The towering walls of wooden crates stood before the Duo, blocking the view of Joker's insanely giddy face from sight. Batman knew he was close, but Bruce wondered just what the villain had in store for the two. Thinking back to that fateful night, the Dark Knight sighed and stretched out on his chair. In hindsight, it was easy to see that the Joker was enticing the two heroes to come and rumble with him. He'd even go so far as target a regular stop on their patrol. The clown sick obsession with Batman and kill him had taken their duel from the loony to the macabre. However, this night the Joker had come close to breaking the Dark Knight forever.

* * *

"It's my _Dad_!"

Barbara related as she twisted around to cybernetic Titan, standing in the middle of her room with a look of horror. This wasn't good. The girl's father, Jim Gordon, was not one that expected visitors with his daughter in the middle of the night. Was it even the middle of the night anymore? Her windows were begin to light-up with the coming of dawn, the latest part of the dark hours that edged closer to morning. Turning back to the ajar door, Barb stared through the crack at her dad as he carefully crept through their apartment's living room. He was probably try not to wake her, thinking that Barb was asleep. Of course, he'd feel the need to poke his head in and check on her. He'd be in for one heck of a surprise to see Cyborg's large metal body greeting him. The girl's father wasn't dumb, he was a cop for twenty years and the Chief of Police for all of Gotham City, no lie could cover up this mess without him being fishy.

There was only one thing to do... tell the **truth**. Grabbing the flabbergasted Titan, Barbara pulled her bedroom door open and yanked Cyborg into the living room. "Daddy! You're finally home!" The girl said as she approached Gordon with out-stretched arms. Her father blinked as Barb hugged him, looking from her to the dumbfounded Cyborg. Before the girl's dad could say a word, she went on, "Daddy, this is Cyborg. He's a superhero like Batman. In fact, Cyborg said he is working with Batman and the people with him."

"Oh..?" Gordon replied with a questioning eyebrow. Then, his expression turned to recognition and his voice warmed, "You must be one from Robin's team. I just ran into him a while ago at a crime scene. Well! It's nice to meet one of Robin's friends!"

The girl's father went over to the still confounded Cyborg, shaking the Titan's hand and patting him on the arm. Blinking, the cybernetic boy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and related, "Yeah...well...we thought we'd lend a hand when all the heists went down. Me and Batgirl had tumbled with Black Mask's crew and Lock-Up."

Barbara looked to Cy and gestured with her hand from behind her dad's back, slicing horizontally across her neck. _Cut out the Batgirl bit, baby!_ She silently cried, hoping to send the thought over to the Titan. Unfortunately, Barb was no Martian Manhunter. The girl didn't want to run the risk of revealing her alter-ego to her father and prayed that Cyborg would take the hint. Scratching his chin, Gordon inquired the cybernetic Titan, "Just what brings you to my apartment in wee hours of the morning?"

"Oh... You see... I was, ah, under your building looking at some evidence and these guys-"

"Why were you **under** the apartment complex? D'you mean the old sewers?"

"Yeah...! It was, ah, one of places Batman set-up across Gotham."

"Right, I see." A smile appeared under her dad's mustache. Crossing his arms, he said thinking aloud, "He does love to put those little secret lairs all over, doesn't he... "

"Oh, yeah. It was a pretty sweet setup... until we had to blow it up."

"BLOW IT UP!" His eyes tore wide open, as Barbara's dad gasped. "There was an explosion under here!"

"Dad! It was no big deal." The girl interjected, "I was there when it happened. There wasn't anyone in the building that really felt it." It was an assumption, of course. One based on a calculation of the explosive's yield and the density of the apartments' building materials. Barb had sure felt the violent rumbling of the bomb while in the secret elevator with Cyborg, so she couldn't attest to that theory.

"Well, whatever the case, I'd better send some men down there to pick through the mess. We can't let any bat-gear fall into the wrong hands, now can we."

"That's why I came up here." Cy declared, "I was looking for the police chief to tell you about the explosion. I called the department and the dispatcher said you be here."

"That's strange. I thought I told the dispatcher not to give out my address anymore. I'll have to have a talk with her... "

"I'm sure it was a mistake, Dad." The girl related as she clung to her father's arm, "Just a oversight. A missed memo!"

Smiling down at his daughter, Gordon sighed, "Well, I guess it's isn't anything to chew someone out over. But, by God, I'll have their hide if they do it again!"

"Right, Dad..." Barbara replied in a flat tone. She then forced a loud yawn from her mouth and went on to say, "It's pretty late, now. I think you and I, Dad, should get on to bed."

The cybernetic Titan pulled his forearm up as a digital clock appeared upon a screen and he commented, "Oh! Look at the time. It's my bedtime too! I guess I'll just be leaving now..."

"Hey, now wait a minute." The girl's father related, "I still want to ask a few more question about this explosion in the sewers."

"Come, Dad! It's practically morning and I want to get to bed." She hoped her father's leak of sleep would push his thoughts away from grilling Cyborg and to his soft bed. Barb could tell that her Titan friend was at wits end trying to keep up with her tail of half-truths she was spinning around her dad. It would only be a matter of time before Gordon cracked their game and stumble onto something she hoped he'd never find out...at least, not tonight.

"Well... I suppose you're right, Barbara." Gordon shook Cy's hand, once more, and bit him farewell. Showing him to the door, the girl's dad patted the cybernetic Titan on the back and wished him good bad-guy hunting...not in so many words, of course. Cyborg got one last quick wave to the girl before the door closed, to which Barbara couldn't help giggling at his awkwardness. Her father turned to Barb, scratching his chin as he thought out-loud, "He seemed like a good kid. A little off, but a nice boy. Barbara, what did he say his name was again?"

"Cyborg, Dad..." Wrapping her arms around herself, the girl said his name once more, "Cyborg... *sigh... ..."

* * *

The chilly morning air touch Black Mask with cool fingers as he sat in the warehouse Mafia meeting place. The walls weren't insulated and the long torrent of rain had left Gotham cold in the few hours before sunrise. The cushy leather chair the mobster was sitting had been warmed by his body heat, providing some comfort, and a class a brandy had brought the rest. He looked about the room, at the mob leaders and the psychos considered criminals. It was a disgusting sight, seeing them together. Black Mask spent his entire shady career working his way up in Gotham City's underworld and hoped to become one powerful Mafia Bosses, but never quite reaching the gold ring. This meeting between the Families should have been the villain's time to shine, where he'd leave behind the trappings of a simple gangster and become a made-man in the Mob. However, the freaks appeared and threw his dreams out the window.

At first, there was just the three that came with the pony-tailed Dr. Daka, but as time went on more and more the filth crawled out of the shadows. The Scarecrow and his dense woven fabric mask, that creep people out more than intimated anyone. Professor Pyg, with his faded, blood-stained apron around his fat body. That freak was less a gangster, than a butcher obsessed with make everyone 'perfect'. And there was Scarface and the Ventriloquist... or should he just say, the Ventriloquist. The mobster-dressed puppet on his arm was suppose to be Scarface and the psyho's boss. The freakazoids all belong in Arkham Asylum, not at this meeting with the Families. It was a shame to have these two-bid, third-rates in the same room as Gotham's high-life crimelords. Black Mask pressed an arm against his Colt .45 under his jacket as his fingers flicked anguishly on his leg. _If one of these lame villains try anything, I'm not hesitating._ The mobster thought to himself.

The villain suddenly sat up in attention when he spotted Carmine Falcone walking towards him. The head of all the Families, he was someone who truly deserved Black Mask's respect. Falcone moved right up to the villain and as Black Mask stood up, he held out his hand willing to him. "I am please to make your acquaintance, Mr. Sionis." The crimelord related, shaking the mobster's hand. The villain was speechless, barely able to put his drink down as Falcone continued, "I have heard that you prefer the title of **Black Mask**, if I'm correct?"

"Yes, Mr. Falcone!" He replied with a wide smile under his charred mask, "It's an honor to meet, sir."

"You flatter me. I've been wanting to meet you, too." The Mob boss wrapped an arm around Black Mask's shoulders and the two walked across the room. "We live in trouble times, my boy. The FBI, Homeland Security, the Justice League, they all are cutting into our business and making problems for the underworld. And, of course there's Batman! I remember a time when all you had to do was payoff some elected officials and bust open a few heads, then BOOM! You own a quarter of Gotham. Now these Capes are all round, busting open **our** heads. Then, these lousy Muslims from the Seven-Elevens go out with suicide-bomb vests, blow themselves up, and next thing we know the Feds quadruple port security! Now we have to go through some damn Mexican gangs just to get a couple of kilos of product. I tell you, times are tough..."

"Is that why you've called the meeting, Mr. Falcone?" Black Mask inquired, "Sir, you don't have to let those freaks into the Families. You've being running the underworld for years without having to rely on costume third-rates."

"Trust me, Black Mask. What I am doing will preserve the Families as is and bring about a new golden-age for crime." The two neared the back of another leather-cush chair, it's occupant's face hidden from view. Though, the villain could see who it was. The spinning disk fly up and down from the man's hand said all he needed to know as to who it was. Fingers flicked the coin up again, it's silver half tumbling over it's burned side, then coming back down. Stepping around the chair, Black Mask saw the handsome half of the rogue's face watching Falcone and him as the ruined side came into view to them. Falcone patted the mobster on the back and said to the seated man, "Mr. Dent...or should I say **Two-Face**? I have someone I wanted you to meet-"

"We've met." Two-Face's rough, harsh voice related as the rogue flipped his coin once again.

"You're looking as pretty as ever, Harvey." Snickered Black Mask, receiving a sour glare from the rogue.

Falcone raised his hand between the two, "Gentlemen, please. I was only trying to introduce the leaders of our two caucuses."

"Caucuses? Leaders?"

"Yes, Mr. Sionis!" The mobster turned and found Dr. Daka walking to him, hands clasped behind his back. "Two caucuses, made up of the individuals who compose Gotham City's organized crime."

"You mean this is all to create some type of underworld syndicate?"

"Not in the traditional sense, no. More of...a collective. One united underworld to rid interlopers from the playing field and free the market for entrepreneurs."

"**Entrepreneurs**, huh?" Black Mask stared down at the Doctor, arms crossed, a skeptical look under his burnt mask. "So, the Riddler and Penguin are your honest businessmen? Two-Face, here, once tried to blow-up a hospital to off the Mayor. Does that sound like laissez-faire capitalism to you?"

Daka smiled, "I have an...unique prospective, Mr. Sionis. But I am not here to debate philosophy, I am here to build a **new **Gotham. You and the Mafia Families gain power through sells of illegal goods, racketeering, and political influence. Two-Face.. Mr. Dent and our fellow guests are powerful because of brutality, fear, and forceful takeover. You all, as Mr. Dent might like to put it, are two sides of the same coin. I am here to show just how much strength you have together than apart."

"It's all real simple, Romy.." Two-Face related as the mobster turned to him, "We supervillains got the muscle and the Families got the dough to pay for things. It's a sweet deal...as long as we get along."

"It will be coalition-styled government." The Doctor jumped in, "A **United Underworld**... ..."

Black Mask shook his head, but said nothing in return. He didn't feel right working so closely with so many of his enemies, mostly because he hated them all with every fiber of his being. Though, loathing aside, this United Underworld that Daka was cooking up seemed to good to be true. "So, Dent's the the ring leader of the circus-freak caucus... and I'm what? Some kind of representative for the Families."

"You will be the head of our caucus, Black Mask." Falcone said, "Every action the Families do in the new organization will be decided by **you**, and you alone."

Power and position, something that the mobster had always wanted. This deal would make Black Mask not only an official member of the Families, but apart the hierarchy. Why did it give the villain such a terrible taste in his mouth? As Black Mask ponder his new role of caucus leadership, a waitress approached the seated Two-Face with a tray of liquors glasses. "Would you care for something to drink, sir?" She asked, trying not to stare at the bad-half of Dent's face.

"Yeah, why not." He replied and took glass of dark liquor.

Black Mask's eyes widened as he nearly gasped. Tearing his hand into his jacket, the mobster pulled out his Colt and point it's muzzle straight between Two-Face's sight. The rogue was caught totally by surprise, as he dropped the drink and bewilderingly stared at the gun. "Who..the hell..are you... ..." The villain demanded through his teeth as the room fell silent.

* * *

Note: I need reviews to get me working, people. I'll forget about this if not.

Well, not totally, but it'll be on the back-burner if not. R & R!


	9. Credits

_**Credits**_

* * *

**Teen Titans **characters and concepts are property of creator Glen Murakami and Warner Bros. Animation.

**Batman** is based upon original character _Batman_ by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.

Related **DC Universe** characters are copyright of by Warner Bros. and DC Comics, Inc.

This story is non-profit project, without the consent of the fore mentioned parties. All rights are hold by respective entities.


End file.
